Classic Rock 93.9

Queen‘s Brian May and Fleetwood Mac‘s Mick Fleetwood are among the artists paying tribute to the late Booker T. and the M.G.’s guitarist Steve Cropper, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 84.

May, who appeared on Cropper and his band The Midnight Hour‘s 2024 album Friendlytown, wrote on Instagram, “We sadly lost one of the great original guitar heroes last night. Steve Cropper was and always will be an inspiration to all of us who bend electric guitar strings to this day.”

“I was fortunate to meet and work with this genial and generous human being – and we all made sure he heard the words that left him in no doubt of the energy we all felt flow from him, and the debt we owed him,” he noted.

Mick Fleetwood called Cropper a “trailblazing musician” and an “incredible human being.”

“I was blessed to have known and shared the stage with many times,” Mick wrote. “The world of music has lost a shinning gem.”

And Dan Ackroyd, who worked with Cropper in the Blues Brothers, called the guitarist “a musical giant,” adding, “The Blues Brothers would not exist without him. It was an honor to have shared studios and stages with ‘The Colonel’.”

Other musicians who paid tribute to Cropper include The Kinks’ Dave Davies, retired Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale and guitarist Joe Bonamassa.

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Grateful Dead has earned a new Guinness World Record.

The band’s most recent Dave’s Pick, Dave’s Picks Vol. 56: Rainbow Theatre, London, England – 3/20/81 & 3/21/81, debuted at #25 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it their 66th top-40 album. That earns them the Guinness record for the most top-40 albums charted on the Billboard 200.

The Dead have been the sole record holder for the most top-40 albums since February 2024, when they earned their 59th top-40 album with Dave’s Picks, Volume 49: Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford U., Palo Alto, CA  – 4/27/85 & 4/28/85. Prior to that they were in a tie for the record with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.

“This Guinness World Records title is something that no one could have anticipated 60 years ago when the Grateful Dead began,” David Lemieux, Grateful Dead legacy manager and archivist, said in a statement. “But the record demonstrates the dedication, passion, and loyalty of the massive legion of Dead Heads, as well as the consistent quality of the Grateful Dead’s recorded output and archival activities over the past six decades.”

The Guinness record caps off a big year for The Dead, who celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2025. The year included a celebration of The Dead as the MusiCares Person of the Year; three shows in San Francisco by Dead & Company; and the release of their first official greatest hits compilation, Greatest Hits, as well as a 60-CD collection, Enjoying The Ride.

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The Masked Singer is going heavy metal in honor of Ozzy Osbourne.

The singing competition show has announced its upcoming 14th season will include an episode titled “Ozzfest” paying tribute to the late Prince of Darkness.

The episode will feature Ozzy’s daughter and past The Masked Singer contestant Kelly Osbourne, who “joins the show to pay heartfelt homage to her father and his iconic career and long lasting impact on the history of music,” a press release says.

The Masked Singer season 14 premieres Jan. 7 on Fox. Participants will be wearing costumes including Eggplant, Queen Corgi and The Croissants.

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Yes has released a new track from their upcoming super-deluxe reissue of 1973’s Tales from Topographic Oceans.

The latest is a newly remastered single version of “The Remembering (High the Memory),” which cuts down the album’s 20-minute song to just under three minutes.

Tales from Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Edition), dropping Feb. 6, will be released as a package of 12 CDs, two LPs and a Blu-ray. It includes a newly remastered version of the album, along with several new mixes by producer Steven Wilson, including a Dolby Atmos mix. It will also include rarities, and previously unreleased studio and live recordings.

Tales from Topographic Oceans, Yes’ sixth studio album, was the first to feature drummer Alan White, who had replaced Bill Bruford. Frontman Jon Anderson came up with the idea for the album after reading a footnote in Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. The album featured four songs, all of which were at least 18 minutes in length, taking fans on a “four-part musical journey through ancient Hindu scriptures.”

The album went on to hit #1 in the U.K. and was a top-10 hit in the U.S.

Tales from Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Edition) is available for preorder now.

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A new round of cast members have been announced for Sam Mendes’ upcoming films about The Beatles, The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event.

The latest additions round out the members of The Beatles’ entourage and include Paul McCartney’s father, Jim McCartney, who’ll be played by The Walking Dead’s David Morrissey.

Other cast members include British actress Leanne Best, who played Jamie Tart’s mom on Ted Lasso, as John Lennon’s Aunt Mimi; The Covenant’s Bobby Schofield as road manager Neil Aspinall; Sherwood’s Daniel Hoffmann-Gill as roadie Mal Evans; Broadchurch’s Arthur Darvill as publicist and friend Derek Taylor; and Happy Endings’ Adam Pally as music manager Allen Klein.

The studio also confirmed previous reports that House of Guinness’ James Norton would be playing Beatles manager Brian Epstein, and Game of Thrones’ Harry Lloyd has been cast as their longtime music producer George Martin. It also announced that casting for John Lennon‘s first wife, Cynthia Lennon, and musician Ravi Shankar will be revealed “in due course.”

The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event, which is scheduled to hit theaters in April 2028, stars Paul Mescal as McCartney, Harris Dickinson as Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. Each film will be told from the point of view of one of the band members.

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If you ever find yourself flying into Birmingham, England, you won’t be landing at Ozzy Osbourne Airport.

Despite a petition to rename it after the late metal legend and Birmingham hometown hero, the airport’s CEO, Nick Barton, tells BBC Radio WM it’s not going to happen.

“Birmingham, amazingly, has an extraordinary list of fantastically influential people, going from historic people like Charles Darwin, as well as Robert Plant and Sir Lenny Henry but the answer is no,” Barton says. “The airport name is so important for our future development of what we’ve got, which is a fantastic airport, but yet to grow significantly, which we will do on the back of its name.”

The airport’s current name is simply Birmingham Airport and uses the code BHX. And while it won’t be named after Ozzy, the airport plans to celebrate the Prince of Darkness and other famed Brummies with a mural.

Ozzy did also just posthumously receive another Birmingham honor, the Lord Mayor’s Award, on what would’ve been his 77th birthday Wednesday.

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On This Day, Dec. 4, 1980…

A little over two months after the death of their drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin released a statement announcing their breakup.

“We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend, and the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were,” read the statement.

The surviving members of Led Zeppelin – Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones – reunited three times following the split.

The first reunion happened in 1985 at Live Aid in Philadelphia, while the second occurred on May 14, 1988, at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert, with Bonham’s son, Jason Bonham, behind the drum kit.

The third and final reunion took place Dec. 10, 2007, at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at the O2 Arena in London, again with Jason Bonham behind the drum kit.

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Yusuf/Cat Stevens postponed the North American book tour supporting his memoir, Cat On The Road To Findout, in September due to visa issues. At the time, he had expressed hope that the tour could be rescheduled, but he’s now announced that it’s not going to happen.

“Unfortunately, my North American book tour is officially cancelled,” he said in a statement. “Unpredictably, and befuddling to us all, the actual visa finally got delivered after the last scheduled date of the tour had passed.”

“I know how disappointing this must be for those of you who were looking forward to the book tour. My agent and team explored every possible avenue, but it was all beyond our control,” he added. “I’m grateful for your patience and your support and I hope something new may be put together in the future, in better and brighter circumstances. Peace and love, always.”

Those still holding tickets for the tour will be notified about refunds.

Cat On The Road To Findout arrived in October. The tour, Cat on the Road to Findout: An Evening Of Tales, Tunes, and Other Mysteries, was supposed to kick off Oct. 2 in Philadelphia.

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Guns N’ Roses have premiered two new songs called “Atlas” and “Nothin’.”

“‘Nothin” and ‘Atlas’ find the long-running band still at the height of their powers, showcasing two different sides of their personality,” a press release reads. “‘Atlas’ is GNR in full surging rock mode, while ‘Nothin” grows more introspective over floaty keys and an emotive guitar.”

You can listen to both songs out now on digital outlets. They’ll be released on a 7-inch vinyl single that will be available to preorder starting Dec. 12.

“Atlas” and “Nothin'” mark the first new GN’R music since the 2023 singles “The General” and “Perhaps.” The most recent Guns N’ Roses album is 2008’s Chinese Democracy, which was released before Slash and Duff McKagan rejoined Axl Rose in the band in 2016.

Guns N’ Roses will launch a 2026 U.S. tour in July.

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Booker T. and the M.G.’s guitarist Steve Cropper died Wednesday at the age of 84. The news was confirmed on Cropper’s Facebook page, which noted he “died peacefully in Nashville.”

“Steve was a beloved musician, songwriter, and producer whose extraordinary talent touched millions of lives around the world,” read the statement. “While we mourn the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we find comfort knowing that Steve will live forever through his music. Every note he played, every song he wrote, and every artist he inspired ensures that his spirit and artistry will continue to move people for generations.”

Booker T. and the M.G.’s was the house band for the legendary label Stax Records, with Cropper playing on iconic recordings like Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man” and Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay,” which he co-wrote and produced. He also produced many Stax recordings, and co-wrote songs like “In The Midnight Hour” with Wilson Pickett, and “Knock on Wood” with Eddie Floyd.

After leaving Stax in 1970, he went on to work with artists like Rod Stewart, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, The Jeff Beck Group, Peter Frampton and others. Cropper was also the lead guitarist in the Blues Brothers, fronted by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, and appeared in the two Blues Brothers movies: 1980’s The Blues Brothers and 1998’s Blues Brothers 2000.

Despite his departure from Stax, Cropper continued to record and tour with Booker T. and the M.G.’s, and they released their last album, That’s the Way It Should Be, in 1994.

Cropper launched his solo career with the 1969 album With a Little Help From My Friends. He released his most recent album, 2024’s Friendlytown, with his band The Midnight Hour. It featured guest appearances by ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons and Queen’s Brian May.

Cropper, nicknamed “The Colonel,” won two Grammy awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as a member of Booker T. and the M.G.’s. In 2005, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

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