Cover of Dire Straits’ ‘Brothers in Arms’/Mercury Records/Warner Bros. Records
This year marked the 40th anniversary of Dire Straits‘ blockbuster album Brothers in Arms, and frontman Mark Knopfler is reflecting on the album’s success in a new interview with Guitar World.
“Well, it’s tempting just to say, ‘Oh, it’s nothing’ and downplay it, but thinking about Brothers in Arms now, it seems like that record meant so much to so many people,” he tells the magazine, adding that the album’s success was “a combination of luck and events crashing into each other.”
Knopfler suggests timing had a lot to do with the album’s success, noting it helped that when it was released, they’d already had some hits in America. Plus, it was released just as the CD had been invented and got played in stores that sold audio systems to show off the equipment.
“That’s where a lot of people first heard it,” he says. “Then the singles made it in different countries and it became a worldwide thing. Next thing you know, you’re in the eye of the storm.”
Released May 17, 1985, Brothers in Arms was Dire Straits’ most successful album; it has been certified nine-times Platinum in the U.S. It was also the first album in history to sell over 1 million CDs.
Joe Elliott and Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard perform at Marvel Stadium, November, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo credit Chris Putnam/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Def Leppard is set to appear on NBC’s America’s Got Talent.
The “Pour Some Sugar on Me” rockers shared the news on Instagram, writing, “Excited to announce that Def Leppard will be performing on AGT Wednesday, August 20th! Save the date and watch on @nbc.”
Def Leppard is currently on the road and is set to play Placer County, California, on Saturday, with dates confirmed through October. They also recently announced a new 12-show Las Vegas residency, Def Leppard: Live at Caesars Palace The Las Vegas Residency, set to kick off Feb. 3. A complete list of dates can be found at DefLeppard.com.
In addition to the live shows, Def Leppard recently revealed they are working on a new album. In an interview with USA Today, the band said the follow-up to 2022’s Diamond Star Halos is expected out next year.
Dave Edmunds performs on stage at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club on October 1, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)
Welsh rocker Dave Edmunds is on the mend after suffering a heart attack in July.
The news of the 81-year-old Edmunds’ condition was first revealed by his wife, Cici Edmunds, in a July Facebook post. She revealed he suffered “a major cardiac arrest” and “died in her arms,” but was revived by doctors.
Cici has now confirmed that Edmunds is doing better. She shared a post that first appeared on Carlene Carter’s Facebook that read, “Dave is expected to make a full recovery and be out of the hospital soon!” Carlene added, “Some really great news we all have been waiting for.”
Cici added the caption, “Bless you sweet beautiful Carlene for sharing the positive news regarding my amazing husbands miraculous recovery.”
Edmunds is best known for his 1970 cover of “I Hear You Knocking,” which peaked at #4 in the U.S. He also co-founded the 1970s band Rockpile with Nick Lowe, and released several solo albums. He worked as a producer with artists like Lowe, Paul McCartney, Stray Cats and more, and toured with Ringo Starr as a member of his All-Starr Band.
(L-R) John Mayer and Bob Weir perform onstage during the 2025 MusiCares Persons of the Year Honoring The Grateful Dead/Amy Sussman/Getty Images
John Mayer is sharing his feelings about getting to be a part of Dead & Company’s recent three-night stand at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead.
“No matter how many shows we play as a band, I will always be a guest in this musical world, and I’ll never lose sight of what is the great honor of my life,” he writes on Instagram. “Happy 60th, Grateful Dead, and long may you run.”
While Mayer says that he’ll “never come close to playing” like the band’s late singer/co-founder Jerry Garcia, he tells fans, “if I can somehow get you closer to him – and to the spirit he created 60 years ago – then I suppose I’ve done my job. Thank you for accepting me.”
The three Dead & Companyshows took place Aug. 1, 2 and 3 and featured guest appearances by Phish’s Trey Anastasio and Phil Lesh‘s son Grahame Lesh, as well as Billy Strings and Sturgill Simpson.
Offiicial concert poster for’ Live at Circus Maximus, Rome’/ courtesy of Sony Music Vision and Trafalgar Releasing
We’re getting another preview of the upcoming David Gilmour concert film, Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome. After initially sharing a performance of the Pink Floyd track “Sorrow,” the official trailer for the film has now been released.
Live at Circus Maximus, Rome, hitting theaters and IMAX on Sept. 17, captures one of Gilmour’s Luck and Strange concerts at the famed Italian venue set against the backdrop of the ancient ruins of Rome. The trailer showcases snippets of the concert, including performances of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” “Comfortably Numb” and more.
Luck and Strange, released in 2024,was Gilmour’s first album of new material in nine years. The album debuted at #10 in the U.S. and at #1 in the U.K. The subsequent tour included rehearsal shows in Brighton, England, followed by multinight stands in Italy, London, New York and Los Angeles.
In addition to the film, on Oct. 17, Gilmour will release The Luck and Strange Concerts, a four-LP or two-CD set featuring 23 tracks recorded during the tour. There will also be a super deluxe edition that includes a 120-page book, David Gilmour Luck and Strange Live, featuring tour photos taken by Gilmour’s wife, Polly Samson.
Ozzy Osbourne and son, producer Jack Osbourne visit the Tribeca Film Festival 2011 portrait studio on April 25, 2011 in New York City. Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival
Ozzy Osbourne‘s son Jack Osbourne has shared a tribute to his late father.
“I haven’t really wanted to post anything since the passing of my father,” Jack writes. “My heart has hurt too much. I’ll keep this short because he hated long, rambling speeches.”
“He was so many things to so many people, but I was lucky and blessed to be part of a very small group who got to call him ‘Dad,'” the younger Osbourne continues. “My heart is heavy with sadness and sorrow, but also full of love and gratitude. I got 14,501 days with that man, and I know what a blessing that is.”
Jack remembers some of those 14,501 days in an accompanying video titled “Some memories of my father,” which features home video footage of him growing up with Ozzy, as well as more recent film of the “Iron Man” rocker spending time with his grandchildren. You can watch the video, which is set to the Ozzy solo song “So Tired,” streaming now on YouTube.
Jack concludes his statement with a quote from late writer Hunter S. Thompson, which he feels “best describes” his dad: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body … but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow! What a ride!'”
“That was my dad,” Jack writes. “He lived — and he lived fully. I love you Dad.”
Ozzy died July 22 at age 76. He’d just played his final show with his original Black Sabbath bandmates at the Back to the Beginning concert on July 5.
(L – R) Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews on stage during Farm Aid 2024 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on September 21, 2024 in Saratoga Springs, New York. Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images
John Mellencamp and Neil Young with Chrome Hearts are among the artists headlining the 40th anniversary edition of Farm Aid in September, and they are giving fans a chance to win a VIP trip to the festival.
Farm Aid will take place Sept. 20 at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The organization has just launched a new sweepstakes, with a grand prize of two round-trip tickets to Minneapolis with hotel accommodations, along with two Hi-Fi Experience passes to the festival, which will also feature performances by Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds and Margo Price.
The package includes access to the photo pit, seats within the first 12 rows, passes to a Farm Aid event the night prior to the concert, passes to the Farm Aid press event before the concert and more.
The raffle is open now until Sept. 10 via Fandiem. Proceeds will go to help keep farmers on their land.
The first Farm Aid concert was held on Sept. 22, 1985, in Champaign, Illinois, and the Farm Aid organization has raised nearly $80 million since then. Other artists on this year’s bill include Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Billy Strings, Black Pumas’ Eric Burton and Waxahatchee. A complete lineup can be found at FarmAid.org.
John Fogerty performs during day four of Glastonbury festival 2025 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 28, 2025 in Glastonbury, England/ Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images
John Fogerty is getting honored for his songwriting. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, who’s responsible for writing such classic tunes as “Proud Mary,” “Fortunate Son,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain” and more, is set to receive BMI’s Troubadour Award in September.
According to the music rights management company, the honor “recognizes a songwriter who has made a profound impact on the creative community and whose work continues to set the pace for generations to follow.” Fogerty is being celebrated for “the tremendous influence he’s had on the American musical landscape.”
“John Fogerty has written and recorded some of the most distinctive and beloved rock songs of the 20th century, and his music is unequivocally the sound of America, with timeless lyrics wrapped in unforgettable melodies that continue to resonate with generations of fans around the world,” said BMI’s Clay Bradley. “We’re thrilled to honor John with the BMI Troubadour Award and celebrate his creative achievements and his songs, which have become the soundtrack of so many lives.”
Fogerty will receive his honor on Sept. 8 at a private event held at BMI’s Nashville office.
Ozzy Osbourne at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction 2024/Disney/Eric McCandless
A recently opened museum exhibit dedicated to Ozzy Osbourne has been extended following the heavy metal icon’s July 22 death.
Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero opened on June 25 at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and was supposed to close in September. But the museum, which is in Ozzy’s hometown, has announced that it will remain open until January due to public demand.
The exhibit was launched to coincide with Black Sabbath’s homecoming show at Villa Park on July 5, which also turned out to be Ozzy’s last concert. It highlights Ozzy’s solo achievements and many prestigious awards, and includes photos and videos charting his rise to fame, as well as Platinum and Gold discs.
“We are delighted to announce the extension of Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero to the end of the year,” Zak Mensah and Sara Wajid, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said in a statement. “The public response to the exhibition has been overwhelming so far, demonstrating the love and affection for Ozzy from the people of Birmingham and beyond.”
Since its opening, more than 96,000 visitors have checked out the exhibit.
Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero is expected to remain open until Jan. 18, 2026. More info can be found at birminghammuseums.org.uk.
English rock singer and guitarist Terry Reid performing on stage, 24th June 1973. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
British musician Terry Reid, most famously known for turning down offers to front Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, has died at the age of 75.
His death was confirmed by Cleopatra Records, which said in a statement that the team was “deeply saddened by Reid’s passing.”
“Terry wasn’t just a legend—he was a true original. His voice had that rare magic that could shake a room or break your heart in a single note,” read the statement. “But beyond the voice, Terry was warm, funny, and utterly himself—always. Working with him was never just business; it was a pleasure, a lesson, and often, a bit of beautiful chaos.”
While a cause of death was not revealed, in July Reid postponed a fall tour of the U.K., Ireland and Norway due to “medical issues arising from recent treatment for cancer.” A GoFundMe was also set up to help pay his medical bills.
Reid released seven solo albums throughout his career and toured with such artists as The Rolling Stones, Cream, Jethro Tull and Fleetwood Mac. Several of his songs were also recorded by other musicians, including Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, The Hollies and The Raconteurs.
After his band the Yardbirds disbanded in the late ’60s, Jimmy Page offered Reid the spot as vocalist in his new group, but Reid turned him down because he was already committed to opening for The Stones. Page’s band would go on to become Led Zeppelin, with Reid suggesting Robert Plant for the frontman gig.
Plant paid tribute to Reid on Instagram, writing, “His voice, his range … his songs capturing that carefree era … Superlungs indeed.” He also acknowledged the part Reid played in him getting the Zeppelin gig, noting, “He catapulted me into an intense new world he chose to decline.”
Reid also passed on an offer from Ritchie Blackmore to replace original frontman Rod Evans in Deep Purple.
Graham Nash, who produced Reid’s 1976 album Seed of Memory, shared a tribute to Reid on his Instagram page, writing, “He was such a force. A talent beyond what I can express right now.” He added, “That voice. That guitar playing. That wonderful person we will all miss so dearly.”
David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, both of whom were in Deep Purple, also shared tributes. Coverdale called him an “Incredible singer, writer” and “One Of The Absolute Best,” while Hughes wrote that Reid was “one of the greatest Rock n Soul singers of Any generation.”
