Posted by Administrator on April 16th, 2025
During an appearance on Kate and Oliver Hudson's Sibling Revelry podcast, actress Liv Tyler recalled how she experienced a "wave of shock" when she found out Steven Tyler and not Todd Rundgren was her biological father. Recalling how her mother, Playboy model Bebe Buell, revealed to her who her real father was during one of the Aerosmith frontman's concerts, she said, "We sat on a bench at this outdoor amphitheatre and she told me the whole story in the most sincere, beautiful way. I just was there with it and then we went backstage after the show." She continued, "The first wave was shock. After that concert, we went home and my mom had a chaise lounge in front of a window. I remember sitting there for what felt like three days, but it was probably three hours, and coming to this conclusion of 'Whoa, I have two dads and all this love.'" Steven later took a paternity test to determine that he was her father when Liv was "11 or 12." The Lord of the Rings actress told the Hudsons that she believes her mom's on and off boyfriend during the '70s, Todd Rundgren, took the news "so hard" back then and still to this day. "I think it's probably still very hard and painful and I don't speak to him enough. I love him. I have brothers from him and I had a whole family with them," Liv said of the musician, who added that he "took care of me as (if) he was dad" before the paternity news came out. Following a brief romance with Steven, Buell became pregnant, but Rundgren signed Liv's birth certificate and she was originally named Liv Rundgren. Live, 47, admitted she needed "therapy" over the situation when she was older, adding, "Your life starts to formulate and then you're like, 'Wait, I need to deal with this s**t.'" - Music-News.com, 4/16/25...... 
The Who have apparently parted ways with their current touring drummer, Zak Starkey, after nearly three decades, following the band's recent run of London shows. A spokesman for the legendary English group said: "The band made a collective decision to part ways with Zak after this round of shows at the Royal Albert Hall. They have nothing but admiration for him and wish him the very best for his future." Tensions reportedly came to a head in mid-March when Daltrey complained onstage about Starkey's performance during The Who's Teenage Cancer Trust charity gigs. A report of the first performance suggested that Daltrey stopped several songs mid-performance, citing difficulty hearing the band over the drums. It also said that Daltrey paused their final song, "The Song Is Over," and told the audience: "To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can't. All I've got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can't sing to that. I'm sorry guys." On Apr. 13, Starkey, the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, posted an all-caps message to his Instagram pate that "Toger Daktrey [sic]... [was] unhappy with Zak the drummer's performance at the Albert Hall a few weeks ago is bringing formal charges of overplaying and is literally going to Zak the drummer." Starkey joined the band during their 1996 "Quadrophenia" world tour. He was introduced to drumming by The Who's original drummer, Keith Moon, a close family friend of the Starrs', who gave him a drum kit for his eighth birthday. He went on to play major shows with the group, including the 2010 Super Bowl and the 2012 London Olympics. Zak Starkey has also played with the likes of Oasis, Johnny Marr, Paul Weller and Graham Coxon. He currently performs in the recently-formed supergroup Mantra of the Cosmos, also featuring former members of the Happy Mondays, Black Grape, Oasis and Ride. - Billboard, 4/16/25...... Canadian-born music legend Neil Young is wading into his native country's upcoming federal election, throwing his support behind Liberal Leader Mark Carney. In a message posted to his Neil Young Archives, Young, who resides in the United States, said he wanted to tell the newly-minted prime minister, "How much I appreciate and support what you are trying to do for our great country, Canada." Watching U.S. Pres. Donald Trump's continuing rhetoric about wanting Canada to become part of the U.S. has apparently left Young worried about the future of his home country. "Canada is facing threats to its very existence, incredibly from people we thought were our friends," he wrote. "They want our resources, they want our land, they want our fisheries, they want our water, they want our Arctic, maybe they want our souls. I know the U.S. president could use a soul." Young added that it will take "more than bravado to fight this kind of threat," saying that the country's next leader will have to have "brains, deep economic knowledge of how the world works (and) strong, intelligent strategies." "Mr. Carney, I believe you are the person to do it," he wrote. "I believe you are the person our country needs to lead us through this crazy situation and bring us out the other side as a stronger, smarter, more resilient Canada, our core values of caring and fairness and generosity intact, along with our souls." Young's support for Carney comes after the Liberals tapped comedian Mike Myers -- who also doesn't live in Canada -- for a series of political ads last month. The spot, which generated over 13.5 million views on X, ends with Myers asking Carney a question that's been on the minds of a lot of Canadians lately: "Let me ask you, Mr. Prime Minister, will there always be a Canada?" "There will always be a Canada," Carney says confidently. - Canoe.com, 4/16/25...... In other Neil Young news, the rocker, Joan Baez and Maggie Rogers shared the stage at U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' Fighting Oligarchy rally at Los Angeles' Grand Park. The event, which centered on anti-corporate messaging and grassroots political reform, also featured solo sets from all three artists. Young, who closed out the rally, began his brief performance with "Rainbow of Colors," a song from his 2019 album Colorado, before launching into "Rockin' in the Free World." Midway through the song, Baez and Rogers walked onstage to join him, taking turns on vocals and leading chants of "Power to the people" and "Take America back" between verses. Young, a longtime supporter of progressive causes, first released "Rockin' in the Free World" in 1989 on his album Freedom, and has performed it across decades of political moments. In 2020, the rocker filed a copyright infringement lawsuit over Donald Trump's unauthorized use of "Rockin' in the Free World" at campaign events. Fan-shot footage of the rally performances has been shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 4/14/25...... On Apr. 15 British hard rock legends Judas Priest and seminal shock rocker Alice Cooper announced they're teaming up for a 22-city co-headlining North American tour this fall. The outing is slated to kick on Sept. 16 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Miss., then wind its way through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Colorado, Utah, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, wrapping on Oct. 16 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston. The run of shows will be the follow-up to Priest's 2024 tour in support of their 19th studio album, Invincible Shield, which debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. Priest has also announced a run of South American and European Shield dates this spring and summer beginning with a gig at the Arena of Rock festival in Brasilia, Brazil on Apr. 16. Indefatigable snake charmer Cooper will also be on the road before the fall tour, with his next scheduled show slated for May 2 at the VBC Mark C. Smith Concert Hall in Huntsville, Ala. Meanwhile, former Judas Priest drummer Les Binks, who manned the kit in the metal band's lineup for a few crucial years in the late 1970s, has died at 73. The band announced Binks' death on Apr. 15 with an Instagram post that read, "We are deeply saddened about the passing of Les and send our love to his family, friends and fans. The acclaimed drumming he provided was first class - demonstrating his unique techniques, flair, style and precision - Thank you Les - your acclaim will live on.." Binks made his first appearance with group in time for 1977's Sin After Sin, the band's major label debut, and made his biggest mark on 1978's Stained Class, where his massive, double kick drum sound and blitzkrieg style set the stage for the speed and thrash metal of the 1980s. His final record with the band would be the band's 1979 Unleashed in the East live album recorded in Tokyo earlier that year, after which he split following a reported dispute with band manager Mike Dolan over compensation for the live LP. - Billboard, 4/15/25...... 
Barry Manilow has announced he will take a break from his ongoing Las Vegas residency for a series of 16 North American arena dates in what is being called his "final North American concert tour" over the coming months. Dubbed "The Last Concerts," Manilow's upcoming run of arena shows will launch on May 23 in Pittsburgh, also hitting such markets as Philadelphia, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Detroit and Cleveland through June 5. After a brief return to his ongoing Vegas residency, he'll play cities inlcuding Spokane, Seattle, Portland and Oakland, Cal., before wrapping in Sacramento on July 19. Those dates will again be followed by a return to Las Vegas, and a handful of holiday shows in December. "I couldn't be more thrilled to visit these great cities of which I have so many fond memories," Manilow said in a statement. "Each one is special to my touring history." News of the "Copacabana" singer's upcoming North American dates comes just a few months after he announced a lifetime residency at his longtime home, the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. Manilow launched his "The Hits Come Home" residency at the Westgate Hotel in 2021, playing his first residency at the hotel (when it was known as the Las Vegas Hilton) from Feb. 2005 to Dec. 2009. He followed with his "Manilow Paris Las Vegas" at the Paris Hotel & Casino at Las Vegas from Mar. 2010 to Dec. 2012. His current run of residency dates see him booked until Dec. 13, though he will perform five shows for "Manilow's A Gift of Love VII" concerts at Palm Desert's McCallum Theatre only days later. - Billboard, 4/15/25...... Elton John and Brandi Carlile's first collaborative album, Who Believes In Angels?, has debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart dated Apr. 19, marking the 22nd top 10 for John and fourth for Carlile. Who Believes in Angels? earned 40,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its opening week (April 4-10), according to Luminate. The album's sales (36,500) were bolstered by its availability across seven vinyl and five CD variants, including signed versions. John earned his first Billboard Hot 200 top 10 more than 54 years ago, with his self-titled album on the Jan. 30, 1971-dated chart. The new album also takes a bow atop both the music industry publication's Top Rock Albums and Top Rock & Alternative Albums charts, while also opening in the top 10 on Top Album Sales (No. 2), Indie Store Album Sales (No. 2) and Vinyl Albums (No. 3). The album has also hit No. 1 in the UK's Official Albums Chart for the week of Apr. 11, giving John his 10th chart-topper in his native England. It now joins Elton's classics Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) and Caribou (1973) as chart-toppers in his home country. His greatest hits collection Diamonds (2017) and The Lockdown Sessions (2021) have also achieved the feat in recent years. - Billboard, 4/14/25...... Rising singer Benson Boone was quite excited to be joined by Queen legend Brian May for a performance of Queen's classic "Bohemian Rhapsody" during Boone's slot at the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on Apr. 11 in Indio, Calif., however the crowd apparently didn't share his enthusiasm when May was introduced. After the event, the 22-year-old star took to TikTok to share a playful video making fun of the characteristically lackluster crowd at the festival. "Me trying to get the crowd at Coachella to understand what an absolute legend Brian May is and the cultural impact he has on music and THE WORLD," Boone wrote over a clip of himself lip syncing to "Bohemian Rhapsody" into a banana microphone, and then looking visibly confused and frustrated when pretending to not hear a reaction from the crowd. Meanwhile, over on Instagram, May expressed how excited he was to join Boone onstage. "I'm still reeling from last night at Coachella," the Queen guitarist wrote alongside a photo of the "Beautiful Things" singer jumping over him onstage. "Thanks to all of you folks who made it feel so special -- you know who you are !!!! And this particular way of concluding Bohemian Rhapsody will be hard to beat in the years to come !!! Thanks. And for Benson and his entire team, I have no words. I'm awestruck." - Billboard, 4/14/25...... 
AC/DC kicked off their first North American tour in nine years with a 21-song set at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Apr. 10. The show featured five songs from the band's 1980 classic Back in Black, and they opened the show with the Highway to Hell cut "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)." Songs like "Riff Raff" and "Let There Be Rock" were performed with extended guitar solos courtesy of Angus Young, while "T.N.T" and "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)" rounded up the show as encore picks. The 13 dates under the 'PWR UP' tour will see Aussie headbangers cross the continent over a six-week period, and will conclude in Cleveland's Huntington Bank Field on May 28. This tour also marks the band's first run of shows with their new line-up, comprising singer Brian Johnson, guitarists Angus and Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug, and new bassist Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction, Alanis Morissette). After their North American trek, the rock veterans will hit the road for 12 dates across 10 European countries this summer kicking off in Prague on June 26. It'll run through to Aug.21 in Edinburgh, which will mark their first show in Scotland in a decade. The "Power Up"' tour takes its name from AC/DC's 2020 album of the same name, their 17th studio record. - NME, 4/11/25...... Pink Floyd has shared a YouTube video of their "One Of These Days" performance from their upcoming Pink Floyd At Pompeii MCMLXXII concert film, which is set to be released worldwide on Apr. 24. The new 4K restoration of the band's classic 1972 concert film -- which uses the original 35mm footage with audio newly mixed by Steven Wilson -- is set debut in cinemas worldwide. The original film was directed by Adrian Maben and it sees the legendary band performing in the amphitheatre in Oct. 1971, with no audience in attendance beyond the basic film crew. It features the band playing a range of music from their career up to that point, including "Echoes" and "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun." It will also include rare behind-the-scenes footage of the band beginning work on The Dark Side of the Moon at Abbey Road Studios. The cinema release will be released on Blu-ray on May 2, and will be accompanied by a live album, released the same day by Legacy Recordings. - New Musical Express, 4/11/25...... Producers of the new John Lennon documentary Borrowed Time have announced the film will receive its world premiere at London's Cine International Film Festival in May. The four-day event is taking place at the Karma Sanctum Soho Hotel in the capital from May 7 to 10 and will include the first screening of the biopic on May 9. The film's director Alan G. Parker will also be on hand for an exclusive talk after the screening. Borrowed Time is an ambitious new documentary that uses archive footage, never-before-seen interviews and eyewitness accounts to explore the final decade of the Beatle legend's life. The film's trailer was shared in February and can be viewed on YouTube. "Follow the legend as he evolves beyond The Beatles, creating revolutionary music and standing at the forefront of anti-war protests that would make him one of the most influential pop culture icons of all time," reads the film's official synopsis. "For the first time ever, the full story of how John and Yoko met is revealed and watch as the curtain is lifted on the 1981 comeback tour that never came to be," reads the documentary's logline. Meanwhile, another Lennon-related film project, One To One: John & Yoko, opened in UK cinemas on Apr. 11. The Kevin Macdonald-directed film explores the couple's time in New York City from 1971 to 1973. - NME, 4/11/25...... Shaun Cassidy has paid tribute to his late brother and fellow '70s teen idol David Cassidy on what would have been David's 75th birthday. Posting on Instagram on Apr. 12, Shaun recalled childhood memories with his big brother: "When David came to visit us on the weekends, my mother always made it a priority to celebrate him," he captioned a throwback photo with his brother. "She knew how difficult it was for a kid to be shuttled back and forth between two households, and she never wanted David to feel like he was a guest or a 'half-brother' in our home." David was born to actor Jack Cassidy and his first wife, Evelyn Ward, in 1950. Shaun was born to Jack and his second wife, Shirley Jones, in 1958. "There were no better nights than when David came to sleep over, and no better mornings than those spent walking around Westwood, dining at Ships coffee shop, and then riding the ponies at Beverly Park," the singer continued. "Before my younger brothers were born, these were the happiest days of my childhood because I got to share them with my big brother, Dave. God, I miss him. Happy birthday, pal." David Cassidy, best known for his role as Keith Partridge alongside his real-life stepmother Shirley Jones on The Partridge Family, died in 2017 from organ failure at the age of 67. - Music-News.com, 4/15/25...... 
On Apr. 14 Stevie Nicks announced on Instagram she "can't wait" to get back on the road with a run of solo dates beginning Aug. 12 with a show in Boston, which she'll follow with stops in Toronto, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina, Florida, Arizona, Nevada and Oklahoma. Sharing a poster with the dates listed on it, the Fleetwood Mac frontwoman wrote, "More solo shows are on the way in 2025 -- I can't wait to share these nights with you." Four days prior to her kickoff performance in Massachusetts, Nicks will play MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., with Billy Joel. The duo has been co-headlining gigs together for the past couple of years, and after the remainder of Nicks' solo August shows, they'll team up again for stadium performances in Santa Clara, Calif., on Oct. 4, New Orleans on Oct. 18 and Detroit on Nov. 15. The tour dates come about seven months after Nicks dropped "The Lighthouse," a women's empowerment anthem inspired by the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade that marked her first proper release since 2020's "Show Them the Way." She's since performed the track on Saturday Night Live in October as well as Jimmy Kimmel Live the following month. "I have often said to myself, 'This may be the most important thing I ever do,'" Nicks wrote of the song in a statement at the time of its release. "To stand up for the women of the United States and their daughters and granddaughters - and the men that love them. This is an anthem." - Billboard, 4/14/25...... British actress Jean Marsh, who co-created and starred in the beloved television series Upstairs, Downstairs, died at her home in Britain on Apr. 13 of complications of dementia. She was 90. Ms. Marsh and her fellow actress Eileen Atkins developed the Upstairs, Downstairs concept over several years. The characters who eventually became Rose and Sarah, the maids, were intended to be played by the two of them. It was intended to be comedy but then the Bellamy family was added and it became drama. By the time it went into production, Atkins was performing on stage and wasn't available; Sarah was recast. The series was set in a "small" house at 165 Eaton Place, in fashionable Belgravia. The family had a long-term land lease; noble families tend to own the most valuable land in London. It was never clear to me if they owned or leased the house itself. Rose was the experienced upstairs made (plus other duties that required a uniform change during the work day) who later became the nanny as the upstairs household changed. The show lasted for 68 episodes over five seasons 1971-1975 and was produced by London Weekend Television. The show was aired in the U.S. three years after it first aired in the U.K., part of the popular WGBH Masterpiece Theatre, hosed by Alistair Cooke. - 4/13/25...... 
Wink Martindale, a rock 'n' roll disc jockey and good friend of Elvis Presley who gained fame as the host of such TV game shows as Tic-Tac-Dough, Gambit and High Rollers, died on Apr. 15 in Rancho Mirage, Cal., according to his publicist. He was 91. The friendly Martindale, who had a 74-year career, was known for his resonant voice, vivid sport coats and, especially, his curious first name. "When I was a kid in Jackson, Tennessee, one of my playmates, Jimmy McCord, couldn't say 'Winston,' which is my given name. He had a speech impediment, and it came out sounding like 'Winky,'" Mr. Martindale explained to ABC News in 2014. "So Winston turned into Winky, and then I got into the business and Wink it was! It served me well." Mr. Martindale recorded for Dot Records -- Pat Boone was another artist on that label -- and his "Deck of Cards," a narrative release from 1959, sold more than 1 million copies. He also sang "All Love Broke Loose" during the 1958 film Let's Rock. His second wife, Sandy, whom he married in 1975, dated Presley on and off until shortly before the singer wed Priscilla Wagner in 1967, and she appeared as a dancer in Viva Las Vegas (1964) and other Elvis movies. "Elvis is responsible for me marrying Wink," she said in a 2015 interview. "When [Mr. Martindale] said he was from Tennessee, I said, 'He must be a nice guy,' because I loved the state, I loved all the guys, I loved everything in the state of Tennessee because Elvis was such a wonderful part of my life." Winston Conrad Martindale was born on Dec. 4, 1933, in Jackson. His former Sunday school teacher managed WPLI, a 250-watt radio station, and gave him his first job in radio at $25 a week in 1951. He was 17 and a senior in high school. A few years later, he made the big move to WHBQ in Memphis, about 90 miles away from home, where he hosted a radio show in the morning and a popular kids TV show, Wink Martindale of Mars Patrol, in the afternoon. "All of a sudden I became a radio personality that everyone knew and respected to a television 'star,' and the kids loved me!" he said in a 2010 interview. Mr. Martindale happened to be back at WHBQ on one evening in July 1954 when he helped arrange to get Presley to the station for his first-ever radio interview, shortly after the debut of his song "That's All Right." Mr. Martindale hosted the American Bandstand-like show Top Ten Dance Party in Memphis -- Elvis was a big get for him on that show -- then asked for and was granted a transfer to Los Angeles' KHJ (radio and television) in 1959. He hosted another local Dance Party program, this one from Pacific Ocean Park in Santa Monica, and later had a 12-year run as the midday personality on the Gene Autry-owned station KMPC beginning in 1971. Mr. Martindale said he became interested in hosting a TV game show in 1965 when he learned that Password's Allen Ludden would "go in two days a week and tape five shows one day and five shows the next and the other five days play golf. I went to my agent and said, 'How about sending me on a game-show hosting interview?'" He eventually landed at NBC's What's That Song? (billed as Win Martindale) and worked for a year on that, the first of the 20 game shows that he hosted (only Bill Cullen did more). He was on Tic-Tac-Dough for a decade, did two shows for producer Chuck Barris (How's Your Mother-in-Law? and Dream Girl of '67) and produced game shows as well. Mr. Martindale co-hosted and helped produce a cerebral palsy telethon in his hometown for more than a decade and published an autobiography, Winking at Life, in 2000. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame six years later and on Oct. 13, 2007, he was one of the first inductees into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. In addition to his wife, survivors include his daughters, Lisa, Lyn and Laura; his sister, Geraldine; and his "honorary son," Eric. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/15/25.
Mick Jagger's current girlfriend Melanie Hamrick has finally confirmed the couple have been engaged "for two or three years." In an interview for the French magazine Paris Match, the 37-year-old former ballerina addressed rumours suggesting that the Rolling Stones frontman had proposed to her around two years ago. "We've been engaged two or three years," she revealed. However Hamrick added she and Jagger, 81, aren't in a rush to tie the knot. "Maybe one day we'll marry, maybe not. We are so happy in our current life that I would be too afraid to change anything," she continued, before reflecting on the secret to their relationship. "We try to support each other, be there for each other, and make sure everyone is happy. That's all that matters to me and all I strive for." In June 2023, Hamrick sparked engagement rumours when she wore a large diamond ring on her ring finger while promoting her debut novel, First Position, but later told People magazine it was merely a "promise ring." Hamrick and Jagger first met in 2014 and welcomed a son, Deveraux, two years later. Jagger's only legal marriage was to Bianca Jagger from 1971 until their split was finalized in 1978. He is father to seven other children from previous relationships. - Music-News.com, 4/11/25...... 
Rod Stewart has shared details of a new best-of album which will drop just before his milestone performance the UK's Glastonbury festival this summer. Dubbed Ultimate Hits, the forthcoming LP comes as part of his 80th birthday celebrations and is set for release on June 27 via Warner. It's being touted as the first-ever solo-career-spanning hits collection from the legendary songwriter, and will include his signature breakthrough songs "Handbags and Gladrags" and "Maggie May," and move through to follow-up hits like "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?," "Hot Legs" and "Baby Jane." Various versions include 1-CD and 2-CD deluxe editions, collector-edition vinyl pressings in various colours, store-exclusive alternative-cover variants, and limited-edition cassette and Blu-ray audio versions. Stewart will take Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm in Somerset for the coveted Sunday afternoon "Legends slot" on June 29, and has announced he'll be accompanied by his friend and former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood. 2025 will also see Stewart return to his Las Vegas residencies at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace, then perform in Europe, South America and North America as part of his highly anticipated "One Last Time" tour, which launches another European leg later in April. - New Musical Express, 4/10/25...... Former Eurythmics member Dave Stewart will release Dave Does Dylan, a 14-track LP of Bob Dylan covers, on Record Store Day (Apr. 12). The album features recordings of Dylan tracks such as "Simple Twist of Fate," "Forever Young," "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," "Visions of Johanna" and more. They're songs Stewart says he recorded on his iPhone over time -- during breaks in the studio, in his hotel rooms on tour or backstage at gigs. "Whenever I was waiting in-between something, I just started to put an iPhone on a little stick and sing a Bob Dylan song. I was just doing it for fun, and then I would put one up on Instagram every now and then and people would say, 'Oh, we love this! Why don't you make an album of this?'." He continued: "I didn't take any of it seriously. Then my management company said, 'We'd love to put this out on vinyl on Record Store Day.' I had 24 songs, so then it was, 'OK, we have to cut it down to fit on an album unless it's a double album,' which we didn't want to do. So we picked these (14), and I think you can hear that I have a deep connection to the songs and you can hear every word, even though we couldn't really mix them because the guitar and the voice are going down the same mics." Dylan himself has voiced his support of the project in a statement announcing the album: "Captain Dave is a dreamer and a fearless innovator, a visionary of high order, very delicately tractable on the surface but beneath that, he's a slamming, thumping, battering ram, very mystical but rational and sensitive when it comes to the hot irons of art forms," he wrote. "An explosive musician, deft guitar player, innately recognizes the genius in other people and puts it into play without being manipulative. With him, there's mercifully no reality to yesterday. He is incredibly gracious and soulful, can command the ship and steer the course, dragger, trawler or man of war, Captain Dave." Dave Stewart fans can catch the singer in an episode of Recorded Live at Analog that will premiere during July on PBS. - Billboard, 4/10/25...... Bootsy Collins will release his new album, Album of the Year #1 Funkateer, on Apr. 11. In addition to straightforward funk ("The InFluencers," with guest star Snoop Dogg), Collins travels into guitar-shredding metal ("Barbie T & Me"), electronic dance music (the murmuring "I.Am.AI," with competing robot voices) and hip-hop ("Bootdullivan is Soopafly"). Collins' solo albums in recent years have been long and varied, unlike the Bootsy's Rubber Band days, when he hit the studio, jammed with his bandmates and occasionally turned on the recording machines. "Those jams were just so long. You could only put so much on an album back in the day without it not sounding good," he says. "I never thought we were going to be doing as many songs as I'm doing now, but that's where technology has taken us." - Billboard, 4/9/25...... The Eagles have added more dates to their ongoing residency at Las Vegas Sphere, including new dates in October and November 2025. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers kicked off their current Sphere residency on Sept. 20, 2024, taking over from Dead & Company, who brought their never-ending road trip to the venue on May 16, 2024, with a new run of new dates that kicked off on Apr. 10. The Eagles' remaining 2025 dates can be viewed on Instagram. - Billboard, 4/8/25...... The Tribeca Festival has announced it will kick off its 2025 edition with the world premiere of a new Billy Joel documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes. The two-part doc features unreleased performances, home movies, personal photographs and in-depth, one-on-one interviews. The film, an HBO original, is described as "an expansive portrait of the life and music of Billy Joel, exploring the love, loss, and personal struggles that fuel his songwriting," according to an official announcement from Tribeca. Billy Joel: And So It Goes will have its premiere at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on June 4, 2025, the first night of this year's Tribeca Festival. Running from June 4-15 in NYC, the fest's full lineup -- featuring film, music, TV, audio storytelling, talks, games and immersive programming -- is expected to be revealed soon. Ahead of the Tribeca announcement, the film and plans for its HBO release were first confirmed in late March. Following its festival premiere, the doc will debut on HBO and be available to stream on MAX some time this summer. A release date has yet to be announced. Joel will also return to the stage this summer. In March he postponed his tour in order to recover and undergo physical therapy following an undisclosed surgery, announcing that he will resume performing in July. - Billboard, 4/6/25...... The BBC Two and iPlayer are set to honor Bruce Springsteen in May with a special night of programming marking the 50th anniversary of Springsteen's first-ever UK concert. The centrepiece of the celebration is When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain, a new one-hour documentary from Wise Owl Films, featuring a world-exclusive interview with the American music icon. The film dives into Springsteen's unique and enduring bond with the UK, beginning with his now-legendary 1975 debut at London's Hammersmith Odeon. At just 26, Springsteen was already creating buzz with Born to Run -- but despite a sold-out crowd, he left the stage disillusioned with his performance. "I had PTSD from the first Hammersmith show," he reveals in the candid new interview. Featuring unseen archive footage and contributions from E Street Band's Stevie Van Zandt, fellow artists Sting and Peter Gabriel, the documentary explores Springsteen's evolving relationship with British fans and musicians. Promoter Harvey Goldsmith, manager Jon Landau, and Sir Michael Palin also offer reflections, with Palin recalling the night in his famous diary. Springsteen's UK journey continued with his triumphant The River Tour in 1981, visits to cities like Newcastle and Brighton, and his massive Born in the USA tour in 1985. The story is brought full circle with his acclaimed 2024 UK shows and his recent induction as the first overseas songwriter to become a Fellow of The Ivors Academy. Also airing as part of the Springsteen celebration is Hammersmith Odeon, '75 -- a full broadcast of the landmark 1975 show -- and a new Bruce Springsteen at the BBC compilation, featuring performances from Top of the Pops, Old Grey Whistle Test, and more. - Music-News.com, 4/10/25...... 
The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) has released a statement saying Russia's just announced ban on its services will "undoubtedly endanger lives." In a statement released Apr. 3, the prosecutor general's office of the Russian federation banned both the British and U.S-registered foundations of the EJAF from offering its services in Russia, designating the non-profit as an "undesirable organization" -- a classification that would allow the state to prosecute and potentially jail individuals affiliated with the charity if they continue working in Russia. EJAF responded with a statement saying it is "devastated to learn of its new label under Russian law." "This decision by the Russian Federation will undoubtedly endanger lives and disrupt critical HIV prevention efforts for ordinary Russian citizens," the statement reads. "At a time when we have the tools and knowledge to defeat HIV, it is heartbreaking to be unable to support them." The organization pointed out that, according to the Russian governments own reporting, over 1.2 million Russians were living with HIV in 2024, and nearly half a million of those people had not received medical treatment. "Despite this setback, we will continue our work across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where the Foundation is the largest philanthropic HIV/AIDS funder," the organization said. Russia's move comes as a double whammy to the EJAF -- in February, the administration of Pres. Donald Trump announced it was eliminating more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID's) foreign aid contracts, which the EJAF said "could have devastating effects on the HIV response." - Billboard, 4/10/25...... In other Elton John news, the Rocket Man and his current collaborator Brandi Carlile have dropped a raw, emotional making-of short for their first joint album together, Who Believes In Angels?. In a first for John, the superstar rocker allowed cameras to film the entire recording process, resulting in the 32-minute YouTube short Who Believes in Angels?: Stories From the Edge of Creation, which dropped over the second weekend of April. In addition to the short, fans can also read a song-by-song breakdown of the new album by the two singers, watch their recent performance on SNL, check out the one-hour concert An Evening With Elton John and Brandi Carlile on Paramount+ and hear the duo's song "Never Too Late" from the Disney+ doc Elton John: Never Too Late. Meanwhile, '80s/'90s pop queen Madonna has reported that she and Elton have officially "buried the hatchet" in a long-running feud between the two pop stars that dates back to Nov. 2002. In a photo posted to her Instagram page on Apr. 7, the Material Girl singer is giving the Rocket Man star a side-hug, and says that she and John are on the same page at long last. "We Finally Buried the Hatchet!!! Madonna wrote in her caption. "I went to see @eltonjohn perform on SNL this weekend!! WOW."I n the caption, Madonna revealed that seeing one of John's shows when she was in high school "changed the course of my life, helping her realize that she wanted to become a pop sensation." So, when John publicly expressed his disdain for her, she says she felt wounded. "I had always felt like an outsider growing up and watching him on stage helped me to understand that it was OK to be different -- to stand out -- to take the road, less traveled by, she wrote. "Over the decades it hurt me to know that someone I admired so much shared his dislike of me publicly as an artist. I didn't understand it." In the comments, Elton thanked her for coming to see him at SNL -- and for "forgiving me and my big mouth." The pair's feud officially started in 2002, when John said that Madge's "Die Another Day" was "the worst Bond tune ever" and that the track "hasn't got a tune." He continued to throw digs at the pop singer at the 2004 Q Awards, where he lambasted her winning the best live act award at the ceremony. "Madonna, best live act? F--- off. Since when has lip-synching been live?" he asked. "I think everyone who lip-synchs on stage in public when you pay, like, 75 quid to see them should be shot." Madonna even revealed that the pair's reconciliation could potentially bear fruit. "....He told me had written a song for me and he wanted to collaborate. It was like everything came full circle," she wrote. "And you can tell everybody, This is Your Song." - Billboard, 4/8/25...... In still more Elton news, the singer's epic 1973 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road double-album is among 25 additions to the 2025 National Recording Registry, which is administered by the Library of Congress. The list includes three songs that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100: Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman (1972), which gave the women's liberation movement a theme song; Freddy Fender's country/pop smash "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" (1975), and Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On, the Oscar- and Grammy-winning smash from Titanic (1997). Two double-disk jazz albums -- Miles Davis' classic jazz fusion LP Bitches Brew (1970) and Keith Jarrett's The Köln Concert (1975) -- were also honored, along with Chicago's 1969 debut album, Chicago Transit Authority. The Steve Miller Band were honored for their 1976 album Fly Like an Eagle, which spawned three top 20 hits on the Hot 100 album chart, including the No. 1 smash "Rock'n Me." A left-field selection was Microsoft's Windows reboot chime (1995), composed by Brian Eno. When Microsoft wanted a brief start-up sound that would play when Windows 95 booted up, they approached Eno, who came up with a sound that Microsoft designers felt conveyed the sense of "welcome, hopefulness and progress that they desired." Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of Congress, with advice from the National Recording Preservation Board, selects 25 titles each year that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Recordings become eligible for the Registry 10 years after release, compared to 25 years for the Grammy Hall of Fame. "These are the sounds of America our wide-ranging history and culture, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. "The Library of Congress is proud and honored to select these audio treasures worthy of preservation." - Billboard, 4/9/25...... 
Pete Best, the original drummer for The Beatles, has announced his retirement. The 83-year-old Best announced his retirement on X, with his brother Roag Best confirming that the drummer will no longer be performing as part of the eponymous Pete Best Band going forward. "Well what an absolutely wonderful ride we've had. However, everything comes to pass," Roag noted. "My brother Pete Best has announced today he is retiring from personal appearances and performing with the group. His daughter has informed me its due to personal circumstances." Pete himself acknowledged his retirement, reposting the original announcement and adding, "I had a blast. Thank you." Best's association with The Beatles began in the late 50s when The Quarrymen -- which was comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ken Brown -- approached his mother Mona to perform at her Liverpool venue, the Casbah Coffee Club. The Quarrymen evolved into The Beatles in 1960, and following brief stints with Tommy Moore and Norman Chapman, the group recruited Best as their drummer ahead of launching a residency in Hamburg, Germany in August of that year. After two years with The Beatles, Best was ousted by manager Brian Epstein in favor of Ringo Starr. Various stories have circulated as to the reason for Best's dismissal, though his alleged lack of ability, his chemistry within the band, and his purported attractiveness have since been raised as possible explanations behind his firing. Following his time with the band, Best performed with other bands including Lee Curtis and the All-Stars and The Pete Best Combo, which notably attempted to capitalize on Best's prior work by releasing an album coyly titled Best of the Beatles. Best later enjoyed a successful career in civil service, raised a family, qualified for early retirement, and made millions from the Beatles' Anthology One album, which featured 12 tracks on which he drummed. The Pete Best Band is currently scheduled to perform at the Liverpool Beatles Museum on Aug. 23, though it's currently unknown if Best's retirement from the band will impact the planned appearance. More info can be found at liverpoolbeatlesmuseum.com. - Billboard, 4/7/25...... In other Beatles-related news, John Lennon's half-sister Julia Baird has said that an actor from Liverpool should play him in the forthcoming Beatles biopics, directed by Sam Mendes. Speaking to The Telegraph, Baird weighed in on her late brother's casting, in which it was recently announced that London-born actor Harris Dickinson (Babygirl) will play Lennon. "Yes, of course" she replied when asked if it should be a Scouser (a person from Liverpool) playing him. "No one else can get that Liverpool intonation. Nobody," she said. On the subject of being consulted about the movie, Baird replied: "[Mendes is] never going to ask me! I'm the last person he would want to talk to because then he can't make it up." Later in the interview, she described John Lennon as: "a brilliant older brother, very bossy -- a family trait." She does, however, regret his fame, given it led to his murder at the hands of fanatic Mark David Chapman in 1980. "To be John's sister is a privilege that I couldn't begin to describe to you. But given the choice I wish he'd never seen a guitar." When asked why, she replied: "Well, then he might have been an art teacher and he'd still be here." All four films -- one dedicated to each Beatle -- will premiere in Apr. 2028, in what Mendes describes as the first "bingeable moment in cinema." - NME, 4/7/25...... Patti Smith has announced she'll release a new memoir, Bread of Angels, in the fall. Described as Smith's "most intimate" memoir, the book follows on from the likes of her previous successful books including 2010's Just Kids, 2015's M Train, and 2019's Year of the Monkey, and is scheduled to release on Nov. 4 via Random House. "It took a decade to write this book, grappling with the beauty and sorrow of a lifetime. I'm hoping that people will find something they need," Smith said in a statement. According to a synopsis, the book focuses on Smith's teenage years, her foray into the world of poetry, and the recording of seminal works such as her Horses and Easter albums. In February, Smith announced a run of European, U.K., and U.S. tour dates in support of the 50th anniversary of Horses. The singer will be joined by longtime side men guitarist Lenny Kaye and drummer Jay Dee Daugherty, who both played on the seminal 1975 LP. - Billboard, 4/10/25...... The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville has announced it will open a Dolly Parton exhibit in May. "Being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame was one of the greatest moments of my life, and being able to have a personal exhibit for the fans that put me there is a very big deal to me, Parton said in a statement. "This seeker is very proud and honored, and I hope you enjoy my journey. I will always love you." The exhibit will highlight key points in Parton's career, such as the handwritten lyrics to her No. 1 hit "Jolene," and the Sony portable cassette tape player recorder the 10-time Grammy winner used when she wrote her now-iconic songs including "I Will Always Love You," "Jolene" and the exhibit's namesake song, "The Seeker." Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker will open on May 20 and run until Sep. 2026. - Billboard, 4/9/25...... 
Paul Simon kicked off his 2025 North American tour in New Orleans on Apr. 4, following a return from retirement and struggles with his hearing. The opening night of his "A Quiet Celebration" tour also came as a huge milestone, as it was his first headline performance in two years, following rumours that he may never play live again due to severe hearing loss. Taking to the stage at the Saenger Performing Arts Theater, the 83-year-old kicked off the set with a handful of songs from his most recent studio album, Seven Psalms and was joined by his wife Edie Brickell for renditions of "Wait" and "The Sacred Harp." As the set developed, Simon moved into some of his most popular tracks including "Homeward Bound," "Slip Slidin' Away" and "Graceland," before wrapping up the 19-song setlist with performances of two huge Simon & Garfunkel songs: "The Boxer" and "The Sound Of Silence." Simon worked alongside the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss to help overcome the obstacles around playing live. This included repositioning the monitors on stage and opting for smaller venues with better acoustics -- allowing him to hear himself better during the performances. Other stops on the tour include Austin, Denver, Minneapolis, Kansas City, St. Louis, Dallas, Boston, Chicago and more throughout the summer, including five shows at the Disney Hall in Los Angeles and five shows at New York's Beacon Theatre. Footage from the NO show can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 4/7/25...... Neil Young will be among the headliners for the 59th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival, set to take place on the picturesque shores of Lake Geneva between July 4-19. The opening night will feature a celebration of the late music icon Quincy Jones by soul legend Chaka Khan ("To Quincy With Love"), as well as a set marking Kahn's half-century of music-making, with the Casino stage hosting a James Blake solo piano set that same night. In addition to Young and his band the Chrome Hearts and Kahn, other acts slated to perform include Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Santana, The Black Keys, Brandi Carlile and Alanis Morissette, among others. The full lineup can be viewed on MJF's Instagram page. - Billboard, 4/10/25...... Former child actor Jay North, who starred as the titular troublemaker on the 1959-1963 CBS sitcom Dennis the Menace died peacefully at his home on Apr. 6, according to an announcement shared by his friend and Dennis the Menace co-star Jeannie Russell. He was 73. North's and Russell's mutual friend Laurie Jacobson posted on Facebook that Russell told her that "Our dear friend JAY NORTH has been fighting cancer for a number of years and this morning at noon EST, Jay passed peacefully at home." Born Aug. 3, 1951 in Hollywood, North was discovered after appearing on the Los Angeles children's show Cartoon Express, which led to appearances on several NBC variety shows, as well as episodes of Wanted: Dead or Alive, 77 Sunset Strip and Colt .45. At 6, North won a nationwide casting search for his breakout role in the CBS sitcom adaptation of Hank Ketcham's comic strip. During his time on Dennis the Menace, the child actor was abused by his aunt and uncle, which was revealed during a 1993 big screen adaptation of the series. Over the years, North appeared on such shows as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Lucy Show, My Three Sons, The Flinstones Comedy Hour, Lassie, General Hospital and The Simpsons, as well as movies like Zebra in the Kitchen (1965), Maya (1966), The Teacher (1974) and Dickie Robert: Former Child Star (2003). "He had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after but he did not let it define his life," Jacobson wrote. "He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with 'I love you with all my heart.' And we loved him with all of ours. A life-long friend of Jon's, a brother to Jeanne and a dear friend to me, we will miss him terribly. He is out of pain now. His suffering is over. At last he is at peace." - Deadline.com, 4/6/25...... 
Clem Burke, the founding drummer of Blondie, died on Apr. 6 following a battle with cancer. He was 70. The group announced Burke's passing the following day on BlueSky, writing, "it is with profound sadness that we relay the news of the passing of our beloved friend and bandmate Clem Burke following a private battle with cancer. Clem was not just a drummer; he was the heartbeat of Blondie. His talent, energy, and passion for music was unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable. Beyond his musicianship, Clem was a source of inspiration both on and off the stage. His vibrant spirit, infectious enthusiasm and rock solid work ethic touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him." Burke (born Clement Anthony Bozewski in Bayonne, N.J. on Nov. 24, 1954) joined punk/new wave pioneers Blondie in 1975, not long after the group was formed by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. He performed on all of Blondie's albums, from their 1976 self-titled debut, to their breakthrough 1978 LP Parallel Lines (which featured their No. 1 hit "Heart of Glass," 1979's Eat to the Beat and 1980's Autoamerican. He was behind the kit during a pivotal time in mid-1970s New York when Blondie, along with such acts as The Ramones, Patti Smith, Talking Heads and Television, were regularly playing in such legendary bars as CBGB and Max's Kansas City, setting the stage for the punk revolution in America, and across the world. Following their string of hit albums, Blondie announced their split in late 1982 before getting the original members back together for a brief 1997 tour and then a world jaunt the next year and a new album, No Exit, in 1999. The group's eighth studio album, The Curse of Blondie, dropped in 2003, followed by more touring and 2014's Ghosts of Download album and their final known recorded set with Burke, 2017's Pollinator LP. With an exuberant, high-energy style influenced by the Who's Keith Moon and Beatles' Ringo Starr -- he played left-handed on a right-handed kit just like Ringo -- Burke told Tidal in 2022 that he never thought of his day job as work. "Especially when I do things with my friends and my little side projects that I have with various bands, he said. "With drumming, you kind of have to keep doing it. You dont really wanna lose your chops. You wanna be prepared to play when you have to play. So it works both ways. I help people out by playing with them, and they help me to keep my abilities together." After Blondie's split in 1982, Burke stayed very busy performing and recording with a wide variety of bands, including the Romantics, Pete Townshend, Iggy Pop, Plimsouls, Bob Dylan, the Eurythmics, Joan Jett, Wanda Jackson, Dramarama, Nancy Sinatra and Johnny Thunders. He even briefly filled in for a couple of gigs in 1987 for his pals in the Ramones under the stage name Elvis Ramone. During his eight-year (1980-1988) run with the Eurythmics, Burke performed on three albums with the group, including on their 1986 Grammy winning single "Missionary Man." - Billboard, 4/7/25...... Dave Allen, who played bass guitar during influential British post-punk band Gang of Four's early years -- and who went on to found the group Shriekback -- died on Apr. 6. He was 69. "It is with broken yet full hearts that we share the news that Dave Allen, our old music partner, friend, and brilliant musician, died on Saturday morning. He was at home with his family," his former Gang of Four bandmate Hugo Burnham posted on Instagram, where the band featured several photos in a tribute to Allen. "Dave had endured the early-onset of mixed dementia for some years which has been a heartbreaking time for his wife Paddy, his children, and close friends. Our love and thoughts are with them," he stated. After joining Gang of Four with Burnham, Jon King and Andy Gill in Leeds in 1976, Allen made his mark as bassist on the band's debut album, 1979's Entertainment!, and their follow-up set, 1981's Solid Gold. While neither were chart successes in the U.S., Gang of Four's early work influenced the likes of Michael Stipe, Flea an dKurt Cobain, who included Entertainment! on his top 50 albums list (as published in the posthumous Journals). In 1981, Allen formed Shriekback with Barry Andrews (XTC, The League of Gentlemen), and went on to record a number of albums with the group. Allen rejoined Gang of Four for a reunion with the core lineup in the mid-'00s. He also performed with bands including The Elastic Purejoy and Low Pop Suicide. Gang of Four bandmate Gill, the group's founding guitarist, died in 2020. - Billboard, 4/6/25.
Bruce Springsteen announced on Apr. 3 that he's really throwing open the vaults for a new release of seven previously unheard full length albums this summer. Even more sprawling than his 1998 four-disc odds and sods Tracks collection, the sprawling new 
Lou Gramm's issues with his former band Foreigner -- especially with band founder Mick Jones -- have been well-documented over the years, especially after Gramm's final departure in early 2003. But in the wake of Foreigner's "life-changing" induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last October, Gramm has a new attitude. "Ever since (the induction) it felt like, personally, I had to find a way to let go of some of the things I've been holding onto for years -- and, like the song says, let it be," Gramm says. Gramm, who was Foreigner's original singer in 1976 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame with Jones in 2013, has been making occasional guest appearances with Foreigner since 2017. After singing a pair of encore songs with the band on Mar. 15 in Clearwater, Fla., it was announced that Gramm will be joining the group for an eight-date Historic Farewell Tour run through Mexico and South America that starts Apr. 28 and includes shows in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. Kelly Hansen, Foreigner's frontman since 2005, will not be part of those concerts, with guitarist Luis Maldonado taking his place and planning to sing some of the repertoire in Spanish. "It's a hackneyed sentiment, but it's true -- life's too short," Gramm says of his latest return to the fold. "And a lot of the things that are blown up and made big deals about are easy enough to get over and humble yourself and reach out a little bit, 'cause what you've been mad about for the past 20 years is not a monumental thing." Gramm, for his part, says he's up for joining Foreigner for more of its 2025 dates in North America and certainly plans to be part of the 2026 activities, which will also mark the 45th anniversary of 1981's 6x platinum 4 album. "I don't think there's any contrivance or people questioning the reason why I would be up there with that band," he says, noting that the current edition, active since the mid-2000s, "is something Mick wanted to do after we parted company, and he did a great job and they've done a great job over the last two decades of keeping the name up there and flying the flag. They deserve a lot of credit." Foreigner is also setting up an Australian tour in addition to next year's 50th anniversary shows. A documentary project is in the works to commemorate the landmark. The band's "Juke Box Hero" musical, which has been previewed in Alberta and Toronto, is slated to go into production during 2026 as well. - Billboard, 4/1/25...... Attending a launch event in London for a new Buddy Holly tribute book, Words Of Love, on Apr. 4, Roger Daltrey said the "essence" of music is being lost due to the increasing use of technology. Daltrey, who participated in the Q&A alongside The Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood (who created the Words Of Love cover art) alongside rising British singer Youngblud, expressed his concerns over the growing reliance on tech, such as AI, in creating music. "We were throwing shit at the wall and some of it stuck," Daltrey explained. "There's something about the technology I feel personally, we're losing the essence of the heartbeat. Maybe it's because I'm older, but there's not much new music." Wood, 77, added: "I think rock music has been so convoluted because we got to be forced and twisted for a mainstream audience to turn the guitar down. Modern music's been in a strange place, but it's exciting because it's really, I feel it's very democratic again." - NME/Music-News.com, 4/4/25...... Queen guitarist Brian May has explained to Britain's MOJO magazine why Queen would let an unnamed "gangster rapper" sample one of the band's songs in their music. May said the reason was it didn't align with Queen's beliefs: "We have stopped them being used to promote violence or abuse, during the heyday of gangster rap when someone wanted to sample it in a song, we thought was abusive to women," he said, while not identifying who the musician was. "But otherwise, our songs are for everyone. All art is theft." Later in the interview, May said he originally disliked the 1979 Queen Jazz track "Don't Stop Me Now" due to its perceived glorification of frontman Freddie Mercury's hedonistic lifestyle. "At the time, I didn't feel comfortable about 'Don't Stop Me Now', probably for all the right reasons and the wrong reasons," he said. "I think I resisted realising why people liked it for a long time. Now, I think people love it because it contains all their dark dreams of hedonism -- and that's fine," he continued. "I hear it all the time, though. People say to me, ''Who Wants to Live Forever' feels like it was written for me, or my mum or my dad'. It's in people's hearts and minds and becomes personal to them. That's what makes a song live on." - NME, 4/4/25...... The L.A.-based pop duo Sparks will release their latest album, 
In related news, outspoken Trump critic Neil Young has said he fears a U.S. blacklisting over expressing his disappointment with the president over the years. Young -- who is a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. -- has gone so far as to call Trump "a disgrace to my country," and most recently, claim that "the US has lost its standing" on the world stage under the President's leadership. However, with an upcoming European tour set to be followed by a run of dates in the U.S., Young has taken to his Archives website to ruminate on the notion that he too may be barred from entering the country for sharing his critical thoughts on Trump. "When I go to play music in Europe, if I talk about Donald J. Trump, I may be one of those returning to America who is barred or put in jail to sleep on a cement floor with an aluminum blanket," Young posted on Apr. 1. "If I come back from Europe and am barred, can't play my USA tour, all of the folks who bought tickets will not be able to come to a concert by me. If the fact that I think Donald Trump is the worst president in the history of our great country could stop me from coming back, what does that say for Freedom? I love America and its people and its music and its culture." Young is currently scheduled to launch his forthcoming tour with the Chrome Hearts in Rättvik, Sweden on June 18, with North American dates set to begin in Charlotte, NC on Aug. 8. The rocker's previously-announced plans for a free concert in Ukraine to launch the tour were recently cancelled, with Young citing safety concerns as the reason for the decision. On Apr. 12, Young will join his fellow folk rock legend Joan Baez along with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a "Fighting Oligarchy" event at LA's Grand Park. The quartet will be joined by a line-up of other musicians including Maggie Rogers, Indigo de Souza, Jeff Rosenstock, the Red Pears and Raise Gospel Choir. Admission to the event is free, and you can sign up at https://act.berniesanders.com/signup/rsvp-oligarchy-LA/. - Billboard/NME, 4/1/25...... Billy Joel has joined Paul McCartney in urging the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to induct late powerhouse rock vocalist Joe Cocker into the Cleveland-based hall and museum in 2025. On Apr. 1, Joel posted a video on 
As the new Janis Ian documentary Breaking Silence is currently in US theaters, the 
Actor Val Kilmer, a wide-ranging leading may who played everyone from Jim Morrison to Batman, died on Apr. 1 in Los Angeles. He was 65. The cause was pneumonia, said his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer. Mr. Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and later recovered, she said. Tall and handsome in a rock-star sort of way, Mr. Kilmer was in fact cast as a rocker a handful of times early in his career, when he seemed destined for blockbuster success. He made his feature debut in a slapstick Cold War spy-movie spoof, "Top Secret!" (1984), in which he starred as a crowd-pleasing, hip-shaking American singer in Berlin unwittingly involved in an East German plot to reunify the country. He gave a vividly stylized performance as Morrison, the emblem of psychedelic sensuality, in Oliver Stone's 
At the end of a Sony Pictures CinemaCon presentation on Mar. 31 in Los Angeles, it was revealed that the "Fab Four" in the studio's upcoming Beatles series of films -- one each dedicated to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr -- will be Harris Dickinson (as Lennon), Paul Mescal (as McCartney), Joseph Quinn (as Harrison), and Barry Keoghan (as Starr). In another blockbuster announcement, project director Sam Mendes revealed that all four films will arrive in Apr. 2028, though not at the same time. Sony Pictures head Tom Rothman added that the franchise will be titled The Beatles - A Four-Film Cinematic Event, and that the films will mark the first "bingeable moment in cinema." Mendes, who has not confirmed the order in which the four films will be released, confirmed that filming all four films will take over a year, but is confident for an Apr. 2028 launch. Mendes says he toyed with the idea of a Beatles mini-series but ultimately decided that "the story was too huge to fit into a single movie." Each of the four films will be told from the perspective of one of the four Beatles. It is also the first-ever film to be granted music rights to the Beatles' discography. The films were first announced back in Feb. 2024. Sony Pictures has also posted on 
Roger Daltrey shocked The Who's fans during the first of two Who shows at London's Royal Albert Hall on Mar. 27 when he opened up about his current medical condition. "The problem with this job is that you go deaf," he said from the stage. "And now I've been told that I am going blind." Referencing the band's 1969 rock opera title character, he added: "Thank God I've still got my voice. If I lost that I'll go full Tommy." The Who played another hits-packed show at the Royal Albert Hall the following night, with proceeds going to the charity concerts that Daltrey founded in 2000. Daltrey, who turned 81 in early March, announced in 2024 that he was stepping down as the TCT concerts curator, allowing The Cure's Robert Smith to take the reins. "I have to be realistic about my age... I'm on the way out," he told the London Times in 2024. "The average life expectancy is 83 and with a bit of luck I'll make that, but we need someone else to drive things," he said about the decision to step down from the curator role, instead opting to "work in the back room... talking to the government, rattling cages." During the Mar. 27 show, The Who performed their Who's Next track "Love Ain't For Keepin'" for the first time in 21 years. They also broke out classic tracks like "Pinball Wizard," "The Seeker," "My Generation" and "Behind Blue Eyes." Fan-shot footage of several performances can be streamed on 
Bachman-Turner Overdrive announced on Mar. 28 they are "takin' care of business" again with the release of "60 Years Ago," a new sentimental single that was penned by BTO frontman Randy Bachman and his son Tal Bachman during their pandemic YouTube show Bachman & Bachman Friday Night Train Wreck aspart of a father-son album that has not yet been released. But after hearing that a highway section in Randy's native Winnipeg was to be renamed the Bachman-Turner Overpass -- with the dedication on Apr. 18, the day before BTO plays the city -- inspired the Bachmans to revise the song and make the song public. "I thought, 'I'll go and get "60 Years Ago," and I'll give it back to Winnipeg as a thank-you,'" Randy Bachman says. "There was no great plan for this song, y'know. But maybe they'll play it on Winnipeg radio, and if you live in Winnipeg maybe you'll want to download it and drive around singing '60 years ago, so damn cold, so much snow' and that kind of stuff. And I have a million BTO fans, followers on Instagram and my web site, so maybe some of them will download it. I have a lot of people asking me, always, 'Is there anything new? Is there anything new?' So now yes, there is." With its remembrances of the Winnipeg music scene of the mid-'60s, Bachman further torqued up "60 Years Ago" with some appropriate guests - childhood friend and fellow Winnipegian Neil Young, whose guitar solo can be heard at the end, and BTO co-founder Fred Turner who, despite spates of bad health, contributed vocals to the song. Both men are name-checked in the lyrics, along with Bachman's The Guess Who partner Burton Cummings and, as Bachman notes, Winnipeg's frigid climate. "60 Years Ago" comes as BTO prepares to hit the road on Apr. 1 for an extensive 22-date Canadian tour, followed by summer dates in the U.S., both on its own and with the Marshall Tucker Band, Jefferson Starship and The Outlaws from July 18 through Aug. 22. He's also hoping that Takin' Care of Business, a documentary about finding his stolen Gretsch 6120 guitar while in the midst of a serious cancer battle a couple of years back, will see wider release after running on the film festival circuit. - Billboard, 3/28/25...... On Mar. 27, London's legendary Abbey Road Studios celebrated its recent extensive restoration with an event called Synergy In Motion, which combined contemporary dance and music in a unique event. The choreography was helmed by Royal Ballet choreographer Joseph Toonga and set to the film scores of composer Daniel Pemberton (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), remixed and arranged by Jordan Rakei, Abbey Road's Artist in Residence. The studio has now reopened and is in operation for recording sessions. Abbey Road Studio One is described by the northwest London studio as "world's largest purpose-built recording studio," and can comfortably host 100-piece orchestras. The room is primarily used for the recording of classical and movie scores, with the soundtracks to a number of blockbusters having been recorded in in the space, including much of John Williams' movie canon, such as Raiders of The Lost Ark, Star Wars: The Return of The Jedi, as well as the Harry Potter movies. The premises was first built as a residential townhouse in 1831, and was converted into a recording studio a century later, reopening as EMI Studios in 1931. A number of classical greats including Edward Elgar and Sergei Prokofiev recorded there; in 1958, Studio Two was opened, with a number of influential acts like The Beatles and Pink Floyd recording in the space. The studio is currently owned by Universal Music imprint Virgin Records. - Billboard, 3/27/25...... 
Carlos Santana says his latest effort, 
Legendary actor Richard Chamberlain, the handsome leading man who thrilled women as the young star of Dr. Kildare and then centered the epic, melodramatic miniseries Shogun and The Thorn Birds, died on Mar. 29 in Waimanalo, Hawaii, of complications following a stroke, according to his publicist. He was 90. On the big screen, Mr. Chamberlain played Julie Christie's brutal husband in Richard Lester's Petulia (1968), the woman-loving Aramis in a trio of Three Musketeers films and the fortune hunter Allan Quatermain opposite Sharon Stone in King Solomon's Mines (1985) and Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986). Mr. Chamberlain started off his miniseries career by starring as trapper Alexander McKeag in James Michener's 16 1/2-hour, 12-episode saga Centennial, which aired on NBC in 1978-79, and he was the first actor to portray Jason Bourne onscreen when he starred as the Robert Ludlum character in an ABC miniseries in 1988. Raised in Beverly Hills, Mr. Chamberlain was a rather inexperienced actor when he was hired to play James Kildare, an earnest intern with terrific bedside manner -- and the mentee of Dr. Leonard Gillespie (Raymond Massey) -- on Dr. Kildare. The NBC drama was based on popular MGM radio and film serials (Lew Ayres portrayed the character on the big screen). Female viewers quickly fell for the suave Mr. Chamberlain, and he received upward of 12,000 fan letters a week, more than anyone had ever received at MGM, even Clark Gable. The show aired for five seasons, from Sept. 1961 until Aug. 1966. "I went through life pretending to be perfect, and that helped me play Dr. Kildaire, because he was close to perfect," he once said. In the early 1980s, Mr. Chamberlain gained a reputation as the "king of the miniseries" for his starring roles in Shogun, The Thorn Birds and Wallenberg: A Hero's Story. He received Primetime Emmy nods for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or a special for all three productions. In the Australian-set The Thorn Birds based on Colleen McCullough's novel and which aired on ABC over four nights in Mar. 1983, he portrayed Father Ralph, a Catholic priest who is involved in a tortured romance with the ravishing young Meggie (Rachel Ward), who seeks solace from a ranch hand (Bryan Brown, her future real-life husband). James Clavell's Shogun was originally envisioned as a feature starring Robert Redford. NBC got the rights after those plans fell through and wanted Sean Connery to star as the tempestuous Englishman John Blackthorne. The network then cast Mr. Chamberlain, who had read the book and pushed for the part. He spent six months shooting the miniseries in Japan, and it aired for 12 hours over five nights in 1980. Shogun earned Mr. Chamberlain a best actor Golden Globe and Emmy nomination, and for The Thorn Birds, he took home another Globe for best actor in a miniseries or motion picture for TV. George Richard Chamberlain was born in Los Angeles on Mar. 31, 1934, the youngest of two sons and raised in Beverly Hills, but on the "wrong side of Wilshire Boulevard, the wrong side of Beverly Drive, in an extremely normal neighborhood," he noted. He attended Beverly Hills High School, where he appeared in such plays as "I Remember Mama." His film resume also included Twilight of Honor (1963), Joy in the Morning (1965), The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969), Julius Caesar (1970), The Music Lovers (1971), The Towering Inferno (1974), The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella (1976), Peter Weir's The Last Wave (1977) and The Swarm (1978). More recently, Mr. Chamberlain guest-starred on Nip/Tuck, playing a gay millionaire who forces his younger lover to have plastic surgery so as to resemble himself; recurred on Brothers & Sisters as a former love interest of Ron Rifkin's character; hilariously portrayed Craig Ferguson's mom, Maggie Wick, on The Drew Carey Show; and appeared on the Twin Peaks reboot. In his liberating 2003 autobiography Shattered Love, Mr. Chamberlain, then 69, came out as gay. "When you grow up in the '30s, '40s and '50s being gay, it not only ain't easy, it's just impossible," he told The New York Times in 2014. Mr. Chamberlain learned while growing up "that being gay was the worst thing you can possibly be. I assumed there was something terribly wrong with me. And even becoming famous and all that, it was still there." - The Hollywood Reporter, 3/30/25.