Classic Rock 93.9

Just 16 months after Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts passed away, his wife, Shirley Watts, has died at the age of 84.

“It is with great sadness that Seraphina, Charlotte and Barry announce the death of their much-loved mother, grandmother and mother-in law Shirley Watts,” reads a statement from her family, according to Variety. “Shirley died peacefully on Friday December 16 in Devon after a short illness surrounded by her family.” It added, “Reunited now forever with her beloved Charlie.”

Charlie and Shirley wed in 1964, before the Rolling Stones took off, and were together until his death on August 24, 2021. She met the future Rock & Roll Hall of Famer when they were both students at the Royal College of Art, where Charlie was studying graphic design. He was only a part-time jazz musician at the time.

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Van Halen and Melissa Etheridge are among the artists to be featured in a new MTV music docuseries that will give fans a different look at their favorite artists.

MTV’s Family Legacy, debuting in 2023, will give some new insight into a host of famous musicians using exclusive footage and new interviews from their children, giving a fresh perspective on the artists.

In addition to Van Halen and Etheridge, other artists set for season 1 include Linkin Park, Backstreet Boys, *NYSNC, Boyz II Men, TLC, Biggie Smalls, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Brandy.

And while the series doesn’t premiere until next year, fans are getting a preview of what to expect starting Monday with an MTV’s Family Legacy special airing as part of their “We Speak Music” programming.

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Although he was born Paul Hewson, most people know him as U2’s Bono thanks to the nickname Bonovox, given to him by a friend when he was very young — although that wasn’t the first nickname he was given. Bono confirms to Virgin Radio UK that his good friend once gave him a much longer name, but apparently it didn’t stick.

“I’ve been called a lot of things over the years,” he shares. “I was 3 years old, [my friend] was 4, and we had a sort of street gang into our teens and I had many nicknames. I’m very pleased that I qualified to Bono, though even that is tricky in some quarters.”

As for why he and The Edge decided to stick with their nicknames when they became famous, Bono explains, “The really significant thing is, I suppose, that we decided to be called by those names when we went out into the public because it implies a kind of intimacy with your audience, which is nice.” 

He adds, “Some people will occasionally come up to me and say, ‘Hey, Paul, how are you doing, Paul?’ as if that’s getting close. The last person to call me Paul was my dad, and he’s dead. So don’t call me Paul.”

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Rick Anderson, bassist and co-founding member of the band The Tubes, passed away Friday, according to a post on the band’s social media pages. He was 75.

“We lost our brother on 12/16/22,” reads the post. “Rick brought a steady and kind presence to the band for 50 years. His love came through his bass.”

The Tubes formed in San Francisco in 1972. They released their eponymous debut album in 1975, which featured the song “White Punks on Dope,” which was later covered by Mötley Crüe. They are probably best known for their hit track “She’s A Beauty” from their album Outside Inside. The song peaked at 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1983.

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Pink Floyd gave their fans an early Christmas present this weekend. Rolling Stone reports that without much fanfare, the band released 18 concert recordings from their Dark Side of the Moon era to streaming services, along with some alternative tracks from the album.

The newly released concerts took place between January and December 1972. The recordings include a four-night stand at London’s Rainbow Theater, which took place February 17 to 20, 1972. There are also three U.S. shows, in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

This isn’t the first time Pink Floyd has quietly released a set of live concerts to streaming services. Last year they uploaded 12 unreleased concerts, all recorded between 1970 and 1972, without any previous warning. In both that instance and this latest one, it appears the release is the band’s way of extending their copyright to the recordings.

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Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin have released the first song for this year’s edition of The Hanukkah Sessions.

For the last two years, the Foo Fighters frontman and the producer have shared covers of Jewish artists for each of Hanukkah’s eight nights. With the first night of the holiday taking place Sunday, the pair kicked off The Hanukkah Sessions 2022 with a rendition of the Blood, Sweat & Tears track “Spinning Wheel.”

The performance, which was filmed during a last-minute concert in Los Angeles earlier this month, features Grohl on drums, Kurstin on keyboards and director Judd Apatow on lead vocals, accompanied by a horn section. You can watch it streaming now on YouTube.

The LA concert took place at the tiny Largo club and, according to Variety, featured guests including Beck, Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Pink and Tenacious D‘s Jack Black.

The last two Hanukkah Sessions spawned covers of artists including KISS, Beastie Boys, Bob Dylan, Drake, Lisa Loeb, Ramones, Amy Winehouse and Billy Joel.

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Looks like Billy Joel may have picked up a bug on his recent trip to Australia: He’s had to postpone his final concert of the year.

On Instagram, Billy, who’s 73, wrote, “I’m disappointed to share that I’m under doctor’s orders for vocal rest due to a viral infection so unfortunately, I must postpone my Monday, December 19th concert at Madison Square Garden to June.”

He added, “I’m so sorry to let you know so close to show day, but I was hoping to be closer to a full recovery by now. Sadly, that hasn’t happened. I look forward to seeing you in the New Year.”

The show has been rescheduled for June 2, 2023 and all tickets for Monday’s show will be honored that night.

Billy’s next scheduled show is January 13 at Madison Square Garden, as part of his ongoing once-a-month residency there.

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The Osbournes matriarch Sharon Osbourne is on the mend at home, after being hospitalized for a medical emergency she suffered Friday in Los Angeles.

Jack Osbourne posted a now-vanished Instagram Story on Saturday that noted, “She has been given the all clear from her medical team and is now home.” He went on to thank “everyone who has reached out with love and support.” Jack added, “As to what happened to my mum — I’m gonna leave it to her to share about when she is ready.”

What did remain on Jack’s IG Story feed was his online dressing down of a TMZ reporter looking for comment on the situation, which Jack said woke him up after spending “all night” with his mother while she was in the hospital.

E! News noted the 70-year-old former co-host of The Talk was shooting a TV project with her son at the Glen Tavern Inn in Santa Paula, Calif. when 911 was called over an undisclosed medical situation that sent Sharon to a nearby hospital.

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In Mary McCartney’s new Abbey Road documentary, If These Walls Could Sing, her dad, Beatle Paul McCartney, quotes the title of the film in one of his interviews, making it appear as though he came up with the name. But it turns out, that’s not how it happened at all. 

Mary tells E! News she had already told her dad the title when he did the interview, noting, “He loves words and he liked the title, so when I was interviewing him as we wrapped up, he just threw it in there for me. … I think he was doing me a favor.”

She adds, “I’m really happy with the interview with my dad because he’s great.”

And Sir Paul’s history with the famed studio was a big help for Mary as she approached the project. “I was very lucky,” she says. “I had a reference point historically where he could give me little nuggets of information about Abbey Road when I was researching it.”

If These Walls Could Sing is now streaming on Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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The Rolling Stones are giving fans their first taste of their upcoming live album and DVD, GRRR Live! The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just released their live performance of the classic “It’s Only Rock and Roll (But I Like It)” to streaming services. 

GRRR Live!, recorded December 15, 2012, at Newark’s Prudential Center during the band’s 50 & Counting tour, features guest appearances by such big names as Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr., Mick Taylor and The Black Keys.

The album will be released February 10 on a variety of formats, including a two-CD set, a three-LP set (classic black, limited red and a white indie exclusive), digital, a DVD and two-CD combo set, and a Blu-Ray and two-CD combo set. All formats are available for preorder here.

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