Classic Rock 93.9

Elton John has won many awards in his career, but his latest honor has nothing to do with his music, his musicals or his charity work — it has to do with his candles.

QVC is giving Elton its first-ever Icon Award to recognize Elton’s “exceptional impact on the world of home fragrance” through his collaboration with the candle company Slatkin + Co.

The award is designed to honor “trailblazers whose vision and talent have transformed product experiences.”  Elton’s candle collection with Slatkin + Co. has been a big seller on QVC. The company’s founder, Harry Slatkin, pointed to the April launch of their second collection for QVC, during which 350,000 candles — some of which cost over $100 — were sold. 

A QVC exec said in a statement, “Elton John’s unique ability to connect with our customers and bring his creative vision to life through our platform has resulted in the kind of success that is as remarkable as he is.”

Elton said in a statement, “This is a fantastic honor. I usually receive awards for my music; so, this is genuinely a first for me. It was such a pleasure putting this collection together and creating such sensational scents for everyone to enjoy.”

A portion of the proceeds from the candle collections go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

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The Who’s Roger Daltrey and The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson have collaborated with The Miraculous Love Kids, a nonprofit that provided music lessons to girls and young women in Afghanistan, to release a new cover of Wilson’s solo track “Love & Mercy.”

“‘Love & Mercy’ is one of Brian’s most poignant musical statements about the human condition,” MLKs founder and director Lanny Cordola says. “The melding of Brian, Roger, and the girls is a sound divine. An honor of the highest magnitude and a dream come true for the girls and I. These are world-class musicians with world-class souls.”

“You don’t have to thank me for doing this,” Roger shares in a statement to The Miraculous Love Kids. “I’m really passionate about how you are being treated. You are the future of your country. Please make it better. You really can. And music will play a big part in that … you’ll see.”

The Miraculous Love Kids previously recorded a version of “Love & Mercy” back in 2018, which was actually the first song and video they recorded.

You can learn more about The Miraculous Love Kids at MiraculousLoveKids.org.

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James Taylor and E Street Band member Patti Scialfa are among the artists set to perform at a Nashville concert celebrating legendary singer Linda Ronstadt.

Country star Trisha Yearwood is putting on the event, which will take place July 22 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s CMA Theater. It will also feature special guests Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell.

“Linda Ronstadt is a big reason I wanted to be a singer,” Trisha says. “I was 10 years old when I discovered her music, and her big voice drew me in.”

“She combined the country music that my parents listened to … like Tammy Wynette and Patsy Cline … but it had an edge to it that I loved. Through Ronstadt, I discovered Emmylou Harris, the Eagles, Jackson Browne, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons and many more,” she continues. “I’m honored to be a part of celebrating Linda and this incredible era of music that is such an important part of the history of country music.”

Tickets to the show, titled Trisha Yearwood and Friends Celebrate Linda Ronstadt and Los Angeles Country-Rock, go on sale Friday, May 16.

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A trailer for the Eddie Vedder documentary Matter of Time has just been released.

The film follows the Pearl Jam frontman’s work to support research into finding a cure for the genetic disease epidermolysis bullosa. He and wife Jill cofounded the EB Research Partnership, and the trailer focuses on a special benefit concert Vedder put on in 2023 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle to raise money for the cause.

According to the description, the concert serves as a backdrop to tell “the extraordinary story of families, scientists, and changemakers determined to cure Epidermolysis Bullosa.”

“The goal is treatments, the goal ultimately is cure,” Eddie says in the clip. “It brings a sense of hope. Feels like just a matter of time.”

Matter of Time is set to premiere at the Tribeca Festival on June 12. The screening will be followed by an acoustic performance by Vedder.

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Back in March, KISS‘ Gene Simmons offered fans the chance to be his roadie for the day — for $12,495. Although some folks thought that price was a bit outrageous, the guy who shelled out the money has no regrets.

“This is what I chose to spend my money on,” retired corrections officer Dwayne Rosado, who purchased the package, tells The New York Times.

Rosado got to be Simmons’ roadie for a May show at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, New Jersey. Rosado, who’s been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, bought the VIP package as a gift for himself and his 13-year-old son, Zach, who is also a KISS fan.

“You only live once, and I want to experience life,” Rosado shares. “I’m not going to die with a lot of money. I’m going to die happy.”

The package allowed Rosado and his son to become members of the Gene Simmons Band crew for the entire day. They also got to hang out with Simmons in his dressing room and were introduced to the crowd by the rocker.

“It felt awkward, because I have a whole crowd in front of me, and all I wanted to do is hug him,” Rosado says. “I didn’t care about anything else that was going on.”

Rosado says the $12,495 price tag was “absolutely” worth it.

“Nothing can beat tonight,” he adds. “It’s cemented in Kisstory now, because it’s going to be on YouTube and everything else. So I’ll get to look back and see that moment forever.”

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Yusuf/Cat Stevens is ready to share his story.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer announced he will release his memoir, Cat On The Road To Findout, on Oct. 7.

According to the description, the book “is an extraordinary soul-baring journey through the triumphs, trials, and transcendental quest of one of music’s most enigmatic figures of our time,” adding it’s “a backstage pass to the mind of a man who has lived a thousand lives.”

The book will recount Stevens’ rise to fame thanks to songs like “Wild World,” “Father and Son,” “Peace Train” and “Morning Is Broken” and the release of albums like Mona Bone Jakon, Tea for the Tillerman, and Teaser and the Firecat. It will also cover his conversion to Islam, his humanitarian work and his later return to music.

In addition to his story, the book will include dozens of Stevens’ drawings, as well as archival imagery.

Cat On The Road to Findout is available for preorder now. Stevens is also planning to go on a book tour, although details have not been announced.

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This year marks the 40th anniversary of Farm Aid, and the milestone will be celebrated with an all-star concert in Minnesota.

Farm Aid 40 will take place Sept. 20 at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, with Farm Aid board members Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews and Margo Price all set to perform. Young will be performing with his new band the Chrome Hearts, while Matthews will perform with frequent collaborator Tim Reynolds.

Other artists on the bill include Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Billy Strings, Black Pumas’ Eric Burton, Waxahatchee and others.

“Family farmers are the heart of this country, and we depend on each other for good food and strong communities,” Nelson shares. “For 40 years, Farm Aid and our partners have stood with farmers, supporting them to stay on their land even when corporate power, bad policies and broken promises make it harder to keep going.”

He adds, “This year, we’re proud to bring Farm Aid to Minnesota to celebrate the farmers who sustain us and to fight for a food system that works for all of us. Family farmers aren’t backing down, and neither are we.”

Tickets for Farm Aid 40 go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. CT. More info on the festival can be found at farmaid.org.

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Cyndi Lauper is one of this year’s inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, along with indie rockers The White Stripes, British rockers Bad Company, the late Joe Cocker, grunge pioneers Soundgarden, rap duo Outkast and “The Twist” singer Chubby Checker. But it turns out she has an unexpected connection to Bad Company.

“That was the first song I sang as the lead singer, at a place called the Boardy Barn,” Cyndi recalls. The Boardy Barn was a legendary venue in New York’s Hamptons.

“I played in front of 5,000 people. Had a heart attack, but it didn’t matter,” she tells ABC Audio of the 1974 gig. “It was a gigantic place that was kind of half outdoor/indoor, and there were nickel beers. So I was singing a Bad Company song, and now Bad Company will be inducted in the same time [as me].”

To be specific, the song she sang was “Can’t Get Enough,” a top five hit in 1974. Bad Company, fronted by acclaimed singer Paul Rodgers, also scored with hits like “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love.”

“I just thought it was serendipitous that we’d be in the same place [at the induction ceremony],” Cyndi notes, adding that Rodgers “was always a great rock singer.”

But looking back, Cyndi says Bad Company’s lyrics left something to be desired.

“I mean, when you think of songs like, ‘Feel Like Making Love,’ and you listen to the lyrics, you’re like, ‘If you were with a guy and he was like, ‘O.K., I feel like making love!’ how would you feel about that?” she laughs. “Somehow, in the ’70s, that was sexy!” 

The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction will stream live on Disney+ Nov. 8.

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The new documentary Hung Up On A Dream delves into the history of the ’60s band The Zombies, including their breakup, reunion and 2019 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The band broke up after the release of their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle, which didn’t gain recognition until years later, thanks to the classic track “Time of the Season.” The Zombies frontman Colin Blunstone tells ABC Audio the breakup happened because members of the band were broke, but looking back he wishes they could have continued.

“I would have liked to have seen what we would have recorded next,” he says, “because I just felt the band had turned a corner and the songwriting on Odessey and Oracle is wonderful.”

The film brings the band back to Abbey Road Studios, where they recorded the album, and director Robert Schwartzman says it was important for the story.

He notes, “To have the chance to take the guys back to where they made that album … was a way to get in and get out of the story and help shape it.”

For Colin, it was a very “emotional” being there with his bandmates — Rod Argent, Chris White and Hugh Grundy — as the “memories were flooding back.”

The Zombies’ influence is felt in the film, with several artists talking about being fans, and Schwartzman says one of the coolest was Post Malone. He notes, “To see him just kind of like a fanboy with Colin and Rod was really cool.” 

Colin says he’s “always surprised” to hear that another musician is a fan: “The thought that these huge artists have been influenced in any way by us … it’s quite a difficult concept for me to get my head around.”

Event screenings of Hung Up On A Dream are taking place through Wednesday, before the documentary opens in New York and Los Angeles on Friday. 

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Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis is the latest coffee entrepreneur.

The rocker just launched a new coffee in a can brand, JOLENE, with his friend Shane Powers, and they’ve teamed with Live Nation to bring the beverage to venues across the country.

“Shane shouted at me down the sidewalk ‘Let’s do something!'” Kiedis shares. “I shouted back ‘how ’bout coffee?’ He said ‘done.’ And so began the adventure of putting a high-quality spin on a can of coffee. Now it’s time to put on some aprons and serve the world some delicious coffee. Simple and fun.”

JOLENE, described as “a coffee with a pulse, built to move with the rhythm of live entertainment and meet the ambition of those living life to the fullest,” will be available in two flavors: Black, described as a “bold cold brew,” and White, which is “a smooth oat milk latte.”

Music and coffee fans will be able to drink JOLENE at Live Nation amphitheaters across 23 states. It will also be available online and at retailers in New York and Los Angeles.

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