Classic Rock 93.9

The Kinks became rock ‘n’ roll superstars with Ray Davies as lead vocalist, but he says that was never really his ambition when he started playing music.

In an interview with The Sun, Ray says he wanted to be just like some of his musical heroes, like Chet Atkins and jazz guitarist Tal Farlow, “and just sit at the side playing guitar and let other people do the hard work.” Ray notes, “I thought there was too much responsibility in being a frontman so I tried to give the job to (brother) Dave (Davies) but he didn’t accept it.”

Ray also says their label “thought I had good diction in the days when manners prevailed,” recalling that they told him, “My dear boy, you should be the singer.”

Ray is promoting The Kinks’ recently released compilation album The Journey – Part 1, which features songs handpicked by him, Dave and Mick Avory. He also talked to the paper about some of their biggest hits, including 1964’s “You Really Got Me,” which he says almost didn’t get released. 

“The record company didn’t want us to put it out because they thought it was too aggressive,” he says. “I don’t know what they’d do with it in today’s world.”

The Journey – Part 1 is part of the band’s 60th anniversary celebration. The Journey – Part 2 is expected to come out later this year, along with other events and activities celebrating the anniversary happening throughout 2023 and 2024.

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The 2023 CMT Music Awards went down in Austin, Texas Sunday night, and while the night celebrated country music’s biggest stars, rock was also well-represented.

The show featured a once-in-a-lifetime tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd and their late guitarist Gary Rossington, who passed away last month. The performance, which was introduced by Peter Frampton, featured a trio of guitar greats – Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons, and Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes – along with Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers and country star Cody Johnson on vocals, Rolling Stones’ keyboardist Chuck Leavell, and Wynonna Judd and LeAnn Rimes filling in for Skynyrd’s backup singers, The Honkettes.

The all-star lineup treated the crowd to performances of Skynyrd classics “Simple Man” and “Sweet Home Alabama,” with current Skynyrd members Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke watching on from the audience,  along with Rossington’s widow, Dale Krantz Rossington and daughter Dale, and the late Ronnie Van Zant’s widow Judy and his granddaughter.

The show also featured a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan from Gary Clark, Jr., who performed a rousing rendition “The House Is Rockin’.” 

And if that wasn’t enough, The Black Crowes also performed on the telecast, joining Darius Rucker for a collaboration on the Crowes’ classic “She Talks to Angels.” Plus, Alanis Morissette teamed with Lainey Wilson, Ingrid Andress, Madeline Edwards and Morgan Wade for a performance of her classic “You Oughta Know,” and Wynonna and Ashley McBryde performed a cover of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is.”

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In December, a woman named Julia Holcomb filed a lawsuit in California accusing Steven Tyler of sexual assault, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Well, now Tyler is seeking to have the suit dismissed. 

Deadline reports that in legal documents seeking the dismissal, the Aerosmith frontman’s lawyers argue Holcolmb’s claims shouldn’t be allowed, either in whole or in part, because she consented to the relationship, which occurred in 1973 when she was 16 and he was in his 20s. They also argue he has qualified immunity from her claims because of his previous status as her onetime legal guardian.

They say Holcomb hasn’t “sustained any injury or loss by reason of any act or omission on the part of (Tyler),” adding the rocker’s “actions were legitimate, good-faith, justified, nondiscriminatory and/or non-retaliatory.”

In her suit, Holcomb claimed she and Tyler were together for three years starting in 1973, saying the rocker got her mother to grant him guardianship over her, which allowed her to live and travel with him. Holcomb claims she “was powerless to resist” the rock star’s “power, fame and substantial financial ability,” and that he “coerced and persuaded” her into believing their relationship was a “romantic love affair.”

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Queen + Adam Lambert have added more dates to their North American Rhapsody Tour.

The band has added eight new dates “due to overwhelming fan demand,” including second shows in Baltimore, New York, Boston, St. Paul, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco and Los Angeles. 

The tour now features 22 shows overall, opening October 4 in Baltimore, Maryland, and now wrapping November 12 in Los Angeles. 

Tickets for the new dates go on sale Friday, April 7, at 10 a.m. local time. A complete list of shows can be found at queenonline.com.

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If you think you’ve been hearing a lot of Fleetwood Mac songs on TV lately, you aren’t imagining things.

AdAge reports that since the beginning of 2022, music by the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers has been featured across 16 different TV shows and commercials — and that doesn’t include clips played during reports of singer Christine McVie’s November 2022 death.

According to licensing platform Songtradr, the track that got the most exposure was 1987’s “Everywhere,” which was featured in a Chevy electric vehicle commercial, as well as a recent Kohl’s campaign. In addition, Fleetwood Mac’s “I’m Coming Home to Stay” was featured in the standout third episode of HBO’s The Last of Us, which featured Nick Offerman.

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Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett is set to release two of his ’90s solo albums on vinyl for the first time ever. The albums, 1993’s Guitar Noir and 1999’s Darktown, have been newly remastered specifically for vinyl and will be released June 2 as Gatefold 180g two-LP sets.

“I’m thrilled that my two albums Guitar Noir and Darktown are being release[d] on vinyl for the first time!” Hackett shares. “My music took on a darker edge for both those albums, and I explored additional sounds and genres I hadn’t touched before.” 

Both albums are available for preorder now.

As previously reported, Hackett recently announced he’ll be coming to North America for a tour in which he’ll play Genesis’ 1972 album, Foxtrot, in its entirety, plus other songs from his catalog. The tour kicks off October 3 in Montreal, Canada, and hits the States October 5 in Ithaca, New York. A complete list of dates can be found at hackettsongs.com.

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Pink Floyd is continuing the 50th anniversary celebration of their classic album The Dark Side of the Moon with a very special event. Unfortunately for U.S. fans, it’s in Australia.

The band has announced a listening event on April 20 on a remote peninsula off the coast of Western Australia to coincide with the Ningaloo Eclipse. The plan is to hit play on the album at 10:16:54 a.m. so the line “… but the sun is eclipsed by the moon” will sync exactly when the total solar eclipse happens.

The band is holding a contest that will give eight lucky Australian fans a chance to experience this unique listening opportunity. Those interested just have to submit a 30-second video by April 7 explaining why they should be picked.

The winners will then be filmed, with video of the experience featured on Pink Floyd’s social media pages.

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The Police’s Andy Summers is heading out on a solo tour this summer. The guitarist just announced dates for his A Cracked Lens + A Missing String tour, which hits the U.S. in July.

Summers shares, “This is a continuation of my solo project, where I project sequences of photography with music.”

The nine-date tour kicks off July 21 in Beverly, Massachusetts, wrapping September 9 in Urbana, Illinois.

Tickets are on sale now.

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Night Ranger fans are going to have to wait a few extra weeks to see the band back on the stage. The “Sister Christian” rockers just announced that two more shows have been affected by singer/bassist Jack Blades’ recent hospitalization.

The band revealed on social media that their April 14 show in Chandler, Arizona, has been postponed, while their April 22 appearance at the Rock From The Heart concert in Baltimore, Maryland, has been canceled. The Arizona show is expected to be rescheduled, and those with tickets to the Rock From The Heart concert will receive refunds.

“After consultation with Jack’s medical team, a few extra weeks recuperation before hitting the stage was advised,” the band shares. “Please do not fret, he is in great shape and excited to rock!”

Night Ranger announced Blades’ hospitalization earlier this month, explaining he was suffering from heart irregularities and needed to undergo a procedure. They initially postponed three shows due to his condition. The band’s next scheduled concert is supposed to happen May 13 in Dodge City, Kansas. A complete list of dates can be found at nightranger.com.

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The late Scott Weiland‘s 1998 debut solo album, 12 Bar Blues, is being reissued in honor of its 25th anniversary.

The release will be available on vinyl with three bonus tracks on Record Store Day, April 22, followed by a digital deluxe edition dropping May 12 with an additional five previously unreleased recordings.

One such recording, a seven-minute demo of the song “Barbarella,” is available now via digital outlets.

Weiland first released 12 Bar Blues on March 31, 1998 — 25 years ago today. The Stone Temple Pilots frontman put out another solo album, “Happy” in Galoshes, in 2008, followed by the 2011 holiday compilation The Most Wonderful Time of the Year and the 2015 record Blaster with his backing band The Wildabouts.

The 25th anniversary 12 Bar Blues release follows last year’s reissue of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, which similarly featured unreleased material and was described as the “first posthumous music to be released from the Weiland vault.”

Weiland died in 2015 at age 48.

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