Classic Rock 93.9

Legendary New Jersey rocker Southside Johnny has retired from touring, according to an announcement canceling his Dec. 31 performance at the Count Basie Center in Red Bank, New Jersey.

“After a hugely successful 50-year run with his band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, touring non-stop throughout the U.S and overseas, ‘Southside Johnny’ Lyon has made the decision to retire from touring in order to manage ongoing health issues,” read the announcement, which was also shared on the Asbury Jukes Instagram account.

No other details regarding the rocker’s health issues have been announced. Tickets for the show will be refunded.

“Johnny Lyon and the Asbury Jukes are an integral part of the Basie Center’s history and the history of music here at the Jersey Shore,” the post continued. “While we’re sad we won’t be seeing them this New Year’s Eve, everyone at the Count Basie Center is forever grateful for the hundreds of moments that he and his bandmates have created on our stages.”

Southside Johnny was a staple in the Jersey Shore music scene, alongside Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt. He and Van Zandt co-founded the Asbury Jukes, with Van Zandt producing their first three albums, 1976’s I Don’t Want to Go Home, 1977’s This Time It’s for Real and 1978’s Hearts of Stone. The band’s signature song “I Don’t Want to Go Home” was written by Van Zandt.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Queen continues to celebrate the release of a box set dedicated to their 1973 self-titled debut album, and in the latest edition of Queen The Greatest, guitarist Brian May is taking a deep dive into the album’s artwork.

In the clip, May shares the DIY challenges they faced in coming up with the art for the release, especially after he thought their then-unknown frontman Freddie Mercury should be on the cover in a very specific way.

“I had this premonition that Freddie was special and he was going to be our icon. So, I thought it would be nice just to have Freddie as a symbol, like the figurehead on a Viking ship,” May shares. 

Because this was before the time of Photoshop, to make that happen May had to physically slice a photo of Mercury in a spotlight onto a ship.

“And that was basically the cover and everyone liked it,” he says. “Freddie had designed this lovely special font for Queen. So, we said, ‘OK, we’ll go with that.’”

The back of the album was also difficult, as May had to cut and paste together a collage of photos of the band. He noted, “We had this idea that we could kind of portray our lives on the back of the record.”

All these original and unique details are captured in the new Queen 1 box set, although they’ve been recreated, as May puts it, at “slightly higher quality” using modern technology.

“I thought, we’ve recreated the whole album soundwise, so let’s recreate it visually as well,” he says.

The Queen I box set, out now, is comprised of 63 tracks with 43 brand-new mixes, as well as alternative takes, demos and rare live tracks.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Most celebrity wax figures at Madam Tussauds museums show the star standing up or sitting down. But a new figure of Elton John, unveiled Dec. 20 at the museum’s London outpost, shows the Rocket Man lifting off — literally.

The figure depicts Elton in the ’70s, doing one of his famous keyboard handstands: His hands are on the keyboard of a piano and the rest of his body is suspended in midair. The pose and Elton’s outfit are based on his 1975 one-day festival performance at London’s Wembley Stadium. In fact, he gave the museum’s team the original bedazzled Bob Mackie jumpsuit he wore during that performance so they could replicate it.

The figure is also wearing copies of the glasses and platform shoes Elton rocked at that concert; the baby grand piano the figure is playing is covered in 24,000 rhinestones. In a statement, the museum’s general manager describes the statue as “one of our most technically ambitious figures to date” and “a pose that we have never done before.”

Elton’s first Madam Tussauds wax figure was created in 1976, and that one was historic, too: It was the first Madam Tussauds figure that could smile and talk, with Elton providing the voice recordings for it.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Julian Lennon, eldest son of The Beatles‘ John Lennon, is opening up about a recent health scare, revealing on social media he had surgery to remove melanoma from his skin.

The musician shared that ahead of a trip to New York for some appearances, he went to see the dermatologist who had previously diagnosed a mole as skin cancer back in 2020 “and literally saved My Life.”

He said after finishing up an interview with Good Morning America, his doctor called with another skin cancer diagnosis.

“I had 2 locations on My Skin, Shoulder & Forearm, one of which was Melanoma, that should be operated on ASAP!”

He flew back to Los Angeles to take care of it, noting, “The operation was a success, but we have yet to have the results of the biopsy, which we may not receive before Christmas.” 

“Obviously good news, would be the best Christmas present ever… Which I’m hopeful for… But I just want to say, this is also a timely reminder to all, to please get yourself checked out by your doctor,” Lennon writes. “It only takes a short while to do so, and you may just be saving your own life, at the end of the day… so please, for the sake of yourself, your family and friends just go to your Dr and do what must be done.”

Finally he notes, “I love life and I want to live for a very long time and this is one way, and a choice, that could determine your future… I wish you all happy holidaze and a healthy long life… Love to all.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Christmas is just days away, but the festive tunes keep on coming.

Jason Kelce and his charity musical project The Philly Specials have already released singles featuring Boyz II Men and Stevie Nicks, but now they’ve got a new one, featuring none other than Jon Bon Jovi.

While Jon isn’t from Philly — he’s from Jersey, duh — he was part owner of the Philadelphia Soul arena football team and his Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation has worked on many philanthropic projects in the city. He’s teamed with Jason and the rest of the Philly Specials, Philadelphia Eagles Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata, to record a version of Chuck Berry‘s “Run Rudolph Run.”

The Philly Specials’ goal this season was Operation Snowball: providing a gift for every student and teacher in the Philadelphia school district. That’s over 1 million gifted items. Jason, Lane and Jordan also hand-delivered many presents.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

British punk band The Clash and legendary superstar Prince have been chosen to receive the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be handed out during the Academy’s Special Merit Awards Ceremony during Grammy week in February.

The honor is given to performers who “during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.”

This year’s other Lifetime Achievement Award honorees include blues musician Taj Mahal, Four Seasons singer Frankie Valli, R&B singer Frankie Beverly, hip-hop artist Roxanne Shante and gospel vocalist Dr. Bobby Jones.

“It’s an amazing privilege to honor this eclectic group of music icons during the year’s biggest week in music,” Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, shares. “Each of this year’s Special Merit Award recipients has left an indelible mark on music, from paving the way for others to innovation that forever has changed the trajectory of the musical landscape. We can’t wait to celebrate this group and their achievements in February.”

The Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards Ceremony is set to take place Feb. 1 in Los Angeles. The Grammys air live from LA on Feb. 2 on CBS and will stream live on Paramount+.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, Dec. 20, 1969 …

The Rolling Stones had a new U.K. #1 with their album Let It Bleed.

The album, the follow-up to 1968’s Beggars Banquet, failed to produce any charting singles, although tracks like “Gimme Shelter” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” went on to become Stones classics, and staples at their live shows.

Let It Bleed was the last album The Stones made with founding member Brian Jones, as he was fired in the middle of the sessions due to his erratic behavior. In the end he appeared on only two songs. 

Jones died July 3, 1969, before the album’s release.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Paul McCartney played his final Got Back show of 2024 at London’s O2 Arena on Thursday, and had a little help from his Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr and The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood.

The show also featured a special appearance by McCartney’s original bass, which had been lost for 50 years.

“Thank you, London! We’ve been all over South America and Europe and here we are back home for the last shows of the 2024 ‘Got Back’ tour,” McCartney wrote on Instagram next to a carousel of photos including ones with Ringo and Ronnie. “Making its first stage appearance in 50 years… is my original bass! I haven’t played it in 50 years and what is more, here’s a special guest, a Rolling Stone: Ronnie Wood. And another surprise for you – the mighty, the one and only, Ringo Starr!” 

Wood joined McCartney and his bass for The Beatles track “Get Back,” while Ringo got behind the drumkit to reunite with his Beatles bandmate for two songs “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “Helter Skelter.”

Thursday night’s O2 show was the second of two concerts at the London venue. McCartney kicked off the 2024 leg of his Got Back tour in October in Uruguay, and so far has no tour dates on the books for next year.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

U2 is giving fans even more opportunities to catch the film of their Las Vegas residency.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, screenings of V-U2 An Immersive Concert Movie have been extended through April, with new showings set for April 20, April 21, April 23 and April 29. The film gives fans a glimpse of the band’s residency, U2: UV Achtung Baby, which opened in September 2023.

V-U2 An Immersive Concert Movie, directed by U2 guitarist The Edge and his wife, Morleigh Steinberg, was shot using the ultra-high-resolution camera system developed by Sphere Entertainment. The screenings feature Sphere Immersive Sound, with the audience watching from haptic seats, which, according to a press release, “use vibrations so guests can ‘feel’ the experience.”

The movie first debuted in September and is only showing at the Sphere. The next screening is scheduled for Dec. 20. A complete list of screenings can be found at thesphere.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson has been named this year’s recipient of The National Guitar Museum’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Alex’s playing has inspired countless guitarists to push the boundaries of what the guitar can do,” HP Newquist, the executive director of The National Guitar Museum, shares. “It’s hard to even put his playing in a single category—calling him a ‘rock guitarist’ doesn’t begin to cover it. Catchy riffs, intricate instrumental passages, classical flourishes, jackhammer chords, brilliant tone … that’s just the start of what Alex does as a guitarist.”

Lifeson is the 15th recipient of the award and says he’s honored to be recognized.

“I fell in love with the guitar when I was eleven years old and continue my romantic affair to this day, sixty years later. It has been my voice, my lover and my partner on a lifelong journey, and we’ve never had a single argument,” he shares. “I’m grateful for this acknowledgement and fortunate to share the rewards that come with being a guitarist.” 

Previous Guitar Museum Lifetime Achievement Award winners include Jeff Beck, Eddie Van Halen, Buddy Guy, Tony Iommi, Bonnie Raitt and B.B.King.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.