Classic Rock 93.9

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.”

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Lenny Kravitz has nabbed a nomination for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards.

Kravitz has earned a nod in the best rock category for his song “Honey,” where he’s up against videos from Green Day, Coldplay, Evanescence, Linkin Park and Twenty One Pilots.

Kravitz actually won in the best rock category in 2024. He was recognized for the track “Human,” which, like “Honey,” appears on his 2024 album, Blue Electric Light. Kravitz also performed on last year’s show, treating the audience to a medley of “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” “Human” and “Fly,” featuring Quavo.

The 2025 VMAs will air live from New York’s UBS Arena Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and MTV, and will stream on Paramount+.

For the full list of nominees and to vote for your favorites, visit Vote.MTV.com.

Kravitz is in the middle of his latest Las Vegas residency at the Dolby Live at Park MGM. A complete list of dates can be found at LennyKravitz.com.

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For David Byrne and Hayley Williams, collaborating is more than just a “Once in a Lifetime” experience.

The respective Talking Heads and Paramore singers are linking up again for a new song called “Open the Door,” recorded for the upcoming animated Netflix film The Twits, based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name.

“I reached out to Hayley Williams to collaborate on the end credits song,” Byrne tells Netflix. “We both agreed that it should serve to remind us that there is heart and connection in the story after all the unpleasantness depicted by Mr. and Mrs. Twit.”

“Being a part of this movie is like one pinch-me moment after another. My favorite Roald Dahl book growing up was The Twits,” Williams says. “I owe David Byrne for pulling me into the music for this.”

Byrne also wrote three other original songs for The Twits – “We’re Not Like Ev’ryone Else,” “Lullaby,” and “The Problem Is You” – which will be performed by the movie’s cast.

The Twits is due out on Netflix later in 2025.

Byrne and Williams also collaborated on a song for Byrne’s upcoming solo album, Who Is the Sky?, which will be released Sept. 5. Previously, Paramore covered Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” while Byrne covered Paramore’s “Hard Times.”

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On This Day, Aug. 5, 1980…

Pat Benatar released her second studio album, Crimes of Passion, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200, a position it held for five weeks.

The album featured three singles, the most popular being “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” which was her first top-10 hit. The other singles included “You Better Run,” which was the second music video ever aired on MTV, and “Treat Me Right,” which was a top-20 hit.

Crimes of Passion went on to be certified four-times Platinum by the RIAA. It also earned Benatar a Grammy for best female rock vocal performance, her first Grammy ever. She went on to win three more Grammys in the same category.

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Drummer Zak Starkey has seemingly responded to new comments The Who’s Roger Daltrey has made regarding Starkey’s firing from the band.

In an interview with the U.K. publication The Times, Daltrey noted that comments Starkey made after The Who’s Royal Albert Hall show in March, where they appeared to have a disagreement on stage, were “kind of a character assassination,” adding that it was “incredibly upsetting.”

Well, now in a post on Instagram, Starkey shared text from an article quoting The Times piece, insisting in the caption, “I didn’t make any nasty comments about Roger when I got fired.”

At the Royal Albert Hall show Daltrey and Starkey appeared to have some words during the performance of “The Song Is Over,” but in The Times piece, Daltrey clarified that he was actually calling out the person handling his monitors.

“There was no conflict and no argument before the show or after as I was in my car on my way home before Pete (Townshend) and Roger had finished the last song ‘Tea and Theatre’ which is an acoustic duet and doesn’t feature any of the band,” Starkey writes, adding, “I thought the gig was ok. I had no idea about getting fired or any problems at all until a week after the show.”

He notes, “So either the times misunderstood or…confusion reigns O’er me and everyone else!”

Starkey says he thought the whole controversy over his firing “had blown over,” calling The Times story “old news and completely wrong.” He said he wasn’t going to respond to it but did so because the story “has been picked up by every outlet in the cosmos.”

Finally he writes, “I love Roger and he’s a f****** amazing singer – we go back too long for grudges.”

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Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott is showing off his piano skills in a new video posted to Instagram, and it looks like he’s a little rusty.

“Allow us to introduce you to Sir Elton Joe,” reads the post’s caption, an obvious reference to Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and well-known pianist Elton John. “When you get a piano in your hotel room for the first time in 46 years of touring, you have to put on a show. Even if it is out of tune.”

The video opens with the time filming began, 12:56 a.m., and Elliott showing off the piano in his room. He then sits down and tries to play a few notes, messing up several times to the point where he begins cursing at himself and loses track of how many attempts he’s made at performing.

It ends with the clip noting the time he ended his attempts — 2:30 a.m.

Luckily for Elliott, fans aren’t expecting to see him behind the piano when Def Leppard takes the stage. Their next show is Saturday in Placer County, California. A complete list of dates can be found at DefLeppard.com.

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Scorpions have released a live video of their track “Blackout,” recorded during the German rockers’ historic hometown show at Hanover Stadium Arena on July 5.

“Blackout,” the title track of their eighth studio album, is one of many songs that will appear on the upcoming album Coming Home Live, which captures their Hanover, Germany, concert that had the band celebrating their 60th anniversary in front of an audience of 45,000 fans.

According to setlist.fm, the Hanover show had the band performing many of their biggest hits, including “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and “Wind of Change.”

Coming Home Live will be released Nov. 14 as a two-LP and two-CD set. It is available for preorder now.

The live album news comes as a film about the Scorpions, titled Wind of Change, is in production. The film will be directed by Alex Ranarivelo and stars The Last Kingdom’s Alexander Dreymon as guitarist and founder Rudolf Schenker; Generation War’s Ludwig Trepte as frontman Klaus Meine; You’s Ed Speleers as lead guitarist Matthias Jabs; and Interview with the Vampire’s Luke Brandon Field as drummer Herman Rarebell. It also features The Crown’s Dominic West as the band’s manager, Doc McGhee. 

Wind of Change is expected in theaters in 2025.

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Billy Joel’s daughter Alexa Ray Joel says her famous dad isn’t that impressed by his recently released documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, which is currently streaming on HBO Max.

“You know my father is really funny because [he’s] like the most self-effacing person on the planet right?” she tells the New York Post. “He never buys in his own hype.”

“I’m like, ‘You should be so proud of yourself!’ He’s like, ‘Eh,'” she adds.

“He’s just not a typical, like narcissistic guy in the spotlight — he just does not buy into any of it — he’s a true artist,” she says. “He so deeply introverted, he’s really actually a shy person.”

As for what he said about the two-part doc, Alexa reveals, “He’s like, well you know I’m kind of bored by it because it’s a lot about me and I get sick of me.”

Meanwhile, Joel continues to dip into his archives to share some classic performances with fans. The latest clip is of the An Innocent Man track “This Night,” recorded June 9, 1984, at Wembley Arena in London.

More videos are expected throughout the year. He’s already shared a 1975 performance of “Piano Man,” an a cappella performance of his 1984 hit “The Longest Time,” a performance of “Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel)” from a Columbia Records convention in 1993 and a performance of “Zanzibar” from the Houston Summit in 1979.

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Kelly Osbourne is sharing her gratitude for those who’ve supported her and her family following the death of her father, Ozzy Osbourne.

“I’ve sat down to write this a hundred times and still don’t know if the words will ever feel like enough,” Kelly writes in an Instagram Story posted Monday. “But from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

“The love, support and beautiful messages I’ve received from so many of you have truly helped carry me through the hardest moment of my life,” she continues. “Every kind word, every shared memory, every bit of compassion has meant more than I can ever explain.”

The post marks Kelly’s first extended statement since the Osbourne family announced Ozzy’s death on July 22. Previously, she’d only posted the opening lyric of the Black Sabbath song “Changes”: “I feel unhappy I am so sad. I lost the best friend I ever had.” 

“Grief is a strange thing—it sneaks up on you in waves—I will not be OK for a while,” Kelly writes. “But knowing my family are not alone in our pain makes a difference. I’m holding on tight to the love, the light, and the legacy left behind. Thank you for being there. I love you all so much.”

Ozzy died just over two weeks after he played his final concert with his original Black Sabbath bandmates on July 5. That same weekend, Kelly got engaged to Slipknot‘s Sid Wilson.

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The music of the Allman Brothers Band‘s Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts will once again be celebrated at the ninth annual Allman Betts Family Revival, a 20-date tour launching in November.

The trek will be hosted by Gregg’s son Devon Allman and Dickey’s son Duane Betts and feature a performance from The Allman Betts Band. The lineup will also include special guests Robert Randolph, Amanda Shires, Eric Johnson, Cody Dickinson and Luther Dickinson, Dweezil Zappa and G. Love in select cities.

The tour is described as a celebration “infused with the spirit of brotherhood and musical camaraderie that defines the Allman Brothers legacy.” It kicks off Nov. 29 in St. Louis, Missouri, and features stops in New York, Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles and more before wrapping Dec. 21 in San Francisco.

Complete lineups and ticket information can be found at AllmanBettsFamilyRevival.com.

Previous Allman Betts Family Revival tours have included such artists as Slash, Jason Isbell, Cheap Trick‘s Robin Zander, Marcus King and more.

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