Classic Rock 93.9

Now that Elton John‘s tour is over, he’ll likely be spending more time at home, which means he may have time to walk all the new dogs that he and his husband David Furnish have been adding to their menagerie.

Back in June, David posted a photo of an adorable black puppy named Jacob and announced that his and Elton’s two sons, Elijah and Zachary, would be “co-fathering” the dog, with him and Elton as “grandparents.”

On July 28, David revealed the family had acquired two additional dogs: French bulldog puppies named Regine and Nicole. “Here we grow again,” wrote David, adding the hashtag #obsessed.

In March of this year, David revealed that his and Elton’s beloved cocker spaniel Marilyn had passed away just shy of her 18th birthday.

Jacob, Regine and Nicole join the pair of “pandemic puppies” Elton and David bought for their songs in 2020: two impossibly cute German shepherd pups.

It’s not clear just how many dogs Elton owns at this point: Some reports have stated that he owns or has owned as many as 20. His late cocker spaniel Arthur, Marilyn’s mate, was even the best man when he and David had their civil partnership ceremony in 2005.

Despite having a song called “Honky Cat,” Elton’s clearly a dog person; he doesn’t own any felines.

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Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers has shared another single from his upcoming album Midnight Rose, which drops September 22.

The latest is the track “Take Love,” which may not be completely new to fans. Rodgers used to perform the song live during the five years he spent as frontman of Queen. 

This is the second single Rodgers has shared from the album, following the track “Living It Up.”

You can listen to “Take Love” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube. 

Midnight Rose is Rodgers’ first solo album in almost 25 years. He previously described it as “a celebration of a storied career and a feel-good, hopeful look towards the future.” 

Midnight Rose is available for preorder now.

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Rhino is celebrating its 45th anniversary with a series of limited edition red vinyl reissues, dubbed Rhino Red, focusing on albums from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. 

The series kicks off July 28 with four red vinyl releases from the ’60s, including The Doors’ 1968 Japanese compilation Golden Album. This is the first time the album’s been made available worldwide. It contains songs from three studio albums — The Doors, Strange Days, and Waiting for the Sun — and comes with a bonus seven-inch that features five songs from the compilation, including the classic “People are Strange.”

Only 5,000 copies of the Rhino Red Golden Album are available and can be purchased exclusively at thedoors.com and rhino.com.

Also being released on July 28 is Aretha Franklin‘s Soul ’69, limited to 3,000 copies; Otis Redding’s Love Man, limited to 2,000 copies and Love’s Da Capo, also limited to 2,000 copies.

There’s also more to come with 1970s albums by Doobie Brothers, the Ramones, Todd Rundgren and Chicago dropping August 25, and 1980s albums by Foreigner, B-52’s, Zapp and Starship coming September 22.

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On This Day, July 28, 1973… 

Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers Band and the Band headlined the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen rock festival in upstate New York. 

Held at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Raceway, an estimated 600,000 fans attended the concert, which was a Guinness Record for the “largest audience at a pop festival.” 

Of the 600,000 in attendance, about 150,000 tickets were actually sold in advance for about $10, with the rest of the audience basically allowed in for free. Like 1969’s Woodstock, the concert caused a huge traffic jam in the area, with many fans abandoning their cars on the highway and walking to the concert. 

Following the Summer Jam, no other concert had been held at the venue until Phish held a three-day concert, Super Ball IX, in 2011. They held a second one, Magnaball, in 2015.

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Queen always loves to surprise their audience, and one of those examples is the subject of this week’s episode of the band’s weekly YouTube series Queen The Greatest Live 

The video features the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers performing a cover of the Little Richard classic “Tutti Frutti” at Wembley Stadium during their 1986 Magic Tour, a song most fans probably weren’t expecting to hear. The cover starts out acoustic and then quickly explodes, featuring Roger Taylor’s thunderous drumming, and a Brian May solo on his Red Special guitar.

As for why they chose it, May told Total Guitar earlier this year, “When I first heard Little Richard, it was a moment of shock, but there was also the joy of realizing that people could actually sing that way – they could scream their emotions.”

And coming next week – “Big Spender”

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Def Leppard’s Rick Allen and wife Lauren Monroe’s Raven Drum Foundation has announced some great new events to support veterans, firefighters and trauma survivors. Both events will be happening in September, one in Healdsburg, California, and another in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. 

The California event will take place September 9-10 at the Chateau Diana Winery. It will feature a live performance by Rick and Lauren, with special guests, as well as a healing drum circle with famous drummers like Alvin Taylor, who worked with Elton John and George Harrison, and Franklin Vanderbilt, who’s worked with Lenny Kravitz. The event will honor the firefighters, first responders and victims of the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Northern California.

The Wyoming event, Mountain Rhythm Reset, will take place September 21-23, and feature a welcome reception and live performance with Rick and Lauren. There will be appearances by Guns N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum; Widespread Panic’s Duane Trucks; Wally Ingram, who worked with Jackson Browne; and Sheryl Crow.

The Raven Drum Foundation, founded in 2001 by Allen and Monroe, uses storytelling, music, and arts programs and events to educate, serve and empower trauma survivors, with a focus on veterans and first responders. 

More info on both events can be found at ravedrumfoundation.org. Folks can also bid on the Wyoming event experience at charitybuzz.com.

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Randy Meisner, a founding member of the iconic rock band the Eagles, passed away Wednesday, July 26, due to complications from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD), the band reported on its website. He was 77.

Meisner, the band’s bassist and vocalist, formed the Eagles with Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and Bernie Leadon, in 1971, and appeared on such albums as Eagles, Desperado, Hotel California and more. He left the band in September 1977. 

“Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band,” the Eagles said in a statement. “His vocal range was astonishing, as is evident on his signature ballad, ‘Take It to the Limit,’” referring to the band’s 1975 Billboard top five hit, which he co-wrote with Henley and Frey.

Before founding the Eagles, Meisner was the original bass player for the country-rock group Poco, which was founded by former Buffalo Springfield members Richie Furay and Jim Messina. He was also the bassist and vocalist with Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band.

Meisner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Eagles in 1998.

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Pictures taken by renowned rock photographer Danny Clinch are being turned into T-shirts.

Among the photos featured in the launch lineup of Clinch Collections include shots of Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament during a 2013 Pearl Jam concert in Chicago and pictures from Metallica‘s 2003 performance at California’s San Quentin State Prison.

“These photo t-shirts are inspired by my love of early rock n’ roll, and punk and skate culture,” Clinch explains. “I wanted to create the perfect go-to t-shirt for music fans with their favorite musicians on it.”

Other artists featured include Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson and Phish.

For more info, visit ClinchCollections.com.

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Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt has apologized for his response to Guns N’ Roses guitarist Richard Fortus’ defense of his bandmate Slash.

As previously reported, in a Planet Rock interview Bettencourt suggested “most guitar players I admire” wouldn’t be able to handle working with Rihanna like he did, and he even mentioned Slash by name. Fortus responded by insisting the gig “wouldn’t be a struggle” for Slash. Bettencourt tried to clarify his statements, but wound up insulting Fortus, calling him a “replacement player in GUNS.”

But in a new video posted to Instagram, Bettencourt is apologizing for the entire controversy. 

“I’m not that guy, I don’t wanna be that guy. I’m not interested in this s***, it actually makes me sick,” he says. “Bottom line is, this is on me. I need to keep my f****** mouth shut.” 

He adds, “I got asked a question about Rihanna, and my answer was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. I’ll take full responsibility for it … I tried to make a point, it kind of backfired on me. I do a lot of press, and every once in a while you say stupid s***.”

He apologized to both Slash and Fortus, acknowledging that the latter “had a complete right to defend” his bandmate, adding his comments “came across very arrogant” and “very offensive.” 

And Fortus appears to have accepted the apology, commenting on the post, “Contacting you directly to make arrangements for that beer.”

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Lynyrd Skynyrd will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their debut album, Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd’, in August, and they are celebrating with a new whiskey.

The band just launched Hell House Whiskey, which is named after the Hell House Cabin, where founding members Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington and Allen Collins created the classic album. 

“There’s nothing like getting out there, playing a great show with Skynyrd, seeing people love this music and now being able to raise a glass of our very own Hell House Whiskey together. It’s a toast to the timeless spirit of rock and roll!” current Skynyrd frontman Johnny Van Zant shares.

Hell House Whiskey is a collaboration between the band and whiskey maker Bespoken, with CEO Peter Iglesias noting, “Hell House Whiskey captures the essence of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s indomitable spirit, and through our expertise and innovative techniques, we have crafted a whiskey that is as bold, timeless, and unforgettable as their music.”

Fans can purchase the whiskey at hellhousewhiskey.com.

Lynyrd Skynyrd is currently on their Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour with ZZ Top. The tour hits Rogers, Arkansas, on Friday, July 28. A complete list of dates can be found at lynyrdskynyrd.com.

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