Classic Rock News

The Bruce Springsteen Archives Center for American Music held its third annual American Music Honors on Saturday in New Jersey, and the night featured some all-star collaborations.

This year’s honorees included John Fogerty, Smokey Robinson, Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello, Emmylou Harris and Joe Ely, and Springsteen himself joined in on several of the night’s performances.

Fan-shot footage shows Springsteen and Fogerty, backed by Little Steven Van Zandt‘s band the Disciples of Soul, teaming for three of Fogerty’s Creedence Clearwater Revival classics: “Bad Moon Rising,” “Proud Mary” and “Fortunate Son.”

Other highlights of the night included Springsteen teaming with Smokey and Little Steven on the Miracles‘ hit “Going to a Go Go;” with Morello, Jackson Browne and Nils Lofgren on “Take it Easy” — co-written by Browne and recorded by the Eagles — and with Morello for Bruce’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” which was covered by Rage Against the Machine.

In addition, Springsteen performed the Born to Run track “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” with Morello and Lofgren, and all of the artists came together to perform the Woody Guthrie classic “This Land Is Your Land.”

The American Music Honors are handed out each year to artists “who have demonstrated artistic excellence, creative integrity, and a longstanding commitment to the value of music in our national consciousness.” Previous honorees include Browne, John Mellencamp, Mavis Staples, Van Zandt, Darlene Love and others.

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Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil has responded to the band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

In an interview with Billboard, Thayil shares that in Soundgarden’s early days he “had an aversion to the idea” of the Rock Hall, but started to warm up to it after frontman Chris Cornell inducted Heart during the 2013 ceremony and seeing fellow grunge bands Nirvana and Pearl Jam get in.

“Chris lived the experience and said the enthusiasm of the fans was eye-opening for him, and understanding how important that was — and [drummer] Matt [Cameron] seconded it,” Thayil explains. “In so many ways the fans got some kind of validation by having a band that was important to their heart and that they championed get [the honor]. I know I felt that way about bands I believed in, whether the MC5 or the Ramones or KISS.”

Sadly, the late Cornell, who died in 2017, will not get to experience that enthusiasm for Soundgarden’s induction himself.

“I think he’d be very appreciative and thankful to all the people who have believed in him and believed in the work he did and the work that we all did, collectively.”

Cornell, Thayil and Cameron, who’s already in the Rock Hall as a member of Pearl Jam, will all be inducted together as Soundgarden, alongside classic lineup bassist Ben Shepherd and original bass player Hiro Yamamoto. 

Regarding a potential performance during the induction ceremony, which takes place Nov. 8, Thayil says “some suggestions have come out.”

“I’m not prepared to share that,” Thayil says. “But I’ll just say it’s a higher bar than the usual composite of guitarists and drummers or singers.”

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Sammy Hagar has said that his newly released single, “Encore, Thank You, Good Night,” was inspired by a dream he had about Eddie Van Halen, and that’s exactly what he depicts in the video for the song.

In the clip, Sammy wakes up from a dream and starts writing the song on a pad beside his bed, with the video cutting to old home video footage of him and Eddie. There’s also someone who looks like Eddie carrying his signature red Frankenstrat guitar, walking off towards a bright light.

The video then becomes a performance clip with Sammy backed by his current band, Joe Satriani on guitar, Van Halen’s Michael Anthony on bass and Kenny Aronoff on drums. In another homage to Van Halen, during the performance you can hear crowd chants of “Eddie.”

The video ends with an old home video clip of Sammy simply saying, “Thank you.”

“This song is my final bow to that part of my life,” Sammy has said, referring to his time with Van Halen. “It’s not meant to be anything more than a thank-you — with love, with respect, and with one hell of a guitar solo.”

Sammy is set to launch his Las Vegas residency, The Best of All Worlds Tour Stays in Vegas – The Residency, on Wednesday at Dolby Live at Park MGM, where he’s expected to perform the song live for the first time. A complete list of dates can be found at RedRocker.com.

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On This Day, April 28, 1973…

Pink Floyd landed their first #1 with their eighth studio album, The Dark Side of the Moon.

The album, which features such songs as “Money” and “Brain Damage,” spent only one week at #1. But it went on to spend 741 weeks on the Billboard Albums chart between 1973 and 1988, and has since gone on to spend 990 weeks on the chart.

The Dark Side of the Moon became one of the band’s most commercially successful releases ever. As of 1998, the album had been certified 15-times Platinum by the RIAA.

In 2023, Pink Floyd celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Dark Side of the Moon, releasing a box set that featured a remastered version of the album, along with a live concert recorded in 1974 at Wembley Empire Pool in London and more. Roger Waters also released his own reimagining of the album, The Dark Side of the Moon, Redux.

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Dave Grohl made a surprise appearance during a charity concert in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The Foo Fighters frontman was joined by a band including Foos keyboardist Rami Jaffee for a set of covers. Footage posted by the fan account Foozie’s Foo Fighters News shows Grohl leading a rendition of the LCD Soundsystem song “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House.”

The set list also included performances of The Knack‘s “My Sharona” and Queen and David Bowie‘s “Under Pressure” alongside Luke Spiller of The Struts.

The LA concert follows Grohl’s surprise appearance at Coachella weekend two alongside conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic as he’s been slowly starting to perform again following his 2024 infidelity scandal. He also reunited with fellow surviving Nirvana members Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear during the FireAid and SNL50 concerts. 

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Bad Company is thanking fans for the support that helped them get chosen for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year.

“Thank you to all of our fans and voting members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame committee,” the band writes on Instagram. “Congratulations to all our fellow inductees. We stand alongside some amazing artists, past and present. What an absolute honor.”

Frontman Paul Rodgers tells Billboard it’s “pretty amazing and very cool to be part of an iconic American institution that celebrates music, musicians and sometimes unsung heroes behind the scenes,” adding he’s “looking forward to seeing some old friends, reconnecting with (fellow inductee) Chubby Checker — maybe do the twist?”

Drummer Simon Kirke adds he’s “very happy” to be chosen. The band’s been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1999 and Kirke notes,  “It’s been a long time coming… I’m not taking anything away from the (Rock Hall) committee; they had their reasons, but it’s a welcome addition if you will.”

The band’s only other surviving member, guitarist Mick Ralphs, says he’s “elated” by the decision, although Billboard notes Ralphs, who suffered a stroke in 2016, won’t be able to attend the November ceremony. Both Rodgers and Kirke are just happy Ralphs is here to know the induction is happening.

“To be honest, every year we were not nominated it was another blow, not necessarily for me but we wanted Mick to be able to see this,” Kirke shares. “So that’s been rectified, and we’ll give him a shout from the podium in November.”

The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction is happening Nov. 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and will stream live on Disney+. A highlights special will air on ABC at a later date and stream on Hulu the next day.

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Vicky Cornell, the widow of late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, has shared her reaction to the band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

“Thank you @rockhall,” Vicky writes in an Instagram post. “And huge thanks to all the fans who voted who’s constant love and support keep his legacy alive.”

Chris Cornell died in 2017. Soundgarden was first nominated for the Rock Hall in 2020, and were on the ballot again in 2023 before finally being chosen for induction as part of the 2025 class.

“It’s always bittersweet but Chris would be so honored and it is well past due and beyond well deserved!” Vicky writes. “On behalf of Chris and our family -thank you!! Loud love.”

The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place Nov. 8, and will stream live on Disney+. Other inductees include The White Stripes, Bad Company, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper, Joe Cocker and Chubby Checker.

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Bad Company, Joe Cocker, Soundgarden and The White Stripes are among the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, who were announced Sunday on American Idol.

Also getting into the Rock Hall this year are “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” singer Cyndi Lauper, “Twist” king Chubby Checker and rap group Outkast.

While they’ve both been eligible for decades, Bad Company, the supergroup featuring former Free members Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke, and Cocker are getting in on their first nomination, as is Checker.

“Each of these inductees created their own sound and attitude that had a profound impact on culture and helped to change the course of Rock & Roll forever,” said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “Their music gave a voice to generations and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps.”

The Rock Hall will also induct the late “Werewolves of London” singer Warren Zevon and rap group Salt-N-Pepa with the Musical Influence Award, while the late keyboardist/session man Nicky Hopkins, renowned session bassist Carole Kaye and R&B producer Thom Bell will be inducted with the Musical Excellence Award.

Among the 2025 nominees who didn’t get in this year are Billy Idol, The Black Crowes, Oasis, Mariah Carey, Mexican rock band Maná and Phish, who won the fan vote.

The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place Nov. 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and will stream live on Disney+. A highlights special will air on ABC at a later date and stream on Hulu the next day. 

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The Bruce Springsteen Archives Center for American Music has launched a new charity auction in connection with its annual American Music Honors, which this year will honor John Fogerty, Smokey Robinson, Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello, Emmylou Harris and Joe Ely.

The auction includes plenty of Springsteen-related items, including a chance to meet The Boss, take a ride along the Jersey Shore with him and go home with his 2000 JPB Confederado motorcycle.

Other items in the auction include: tickets to a 2025 Springsteen concert of your choice; a signed Springsteen Born to Run photo; a black Squier Stratocaster signed by The Boss; a Telecaster signed by Springsteen and this year’s honorees, along with E Street Band members Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa and Stevie Van Zandt; and framed photos of Fogerty and Smokey, signed by photographer Danny Clinch.

Bidding is open until May 8. More info can be found at charitybuzz.com. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music.

The third annual American Music Honors will take place Saturday at the Pollak Theatre at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, the home of the Bruce Springsteen Archives. The awards are handed out each year to artists “who have demonstrated artistic excellence, creative integrity, and a longstanding commitment to the value of music in our national consciousness.”

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While his main gig is frontman for The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger has also dabbled in a solo career, and now a compilation of his biggest solo tracks is coming to vinyl for the first time.

The Very Best of Mick Jagger was originally released digitally and on CD back in 2007, but the album is getting its first-ever vinyl release on May 1.

The two-LP set consists of 17 tracks, including such songs as “Dancing in the Street” with David Bowie, “Just Another Night” and “Lucky In Love.” There are also three tracks that up until now have never been released on vinyl: “Too Many Cooks,” which was produced by John Lennon, “Checking Up On Baby” and “Charmed Live.”

The Very Best of Mick Jagger is available for preorder now.

Jagger has released four solo albums throughout his career: 1985’s She’s The Boss, 1987’s Primitive Cool, 1993’s Wandering Spirit and 2001’s Goodness In The Doorway. “Dancing in the Street” is his only top-10 solo hit.

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