A little over two months after the death of their drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin released a statement announcing their breakup.
“We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend, and the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were,” read the statement.
The surviving members of Led Zeppelin – Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones – reunited three times following the split.
The first reunion happened in 1985 at Live Aid in Philadelphia, while the second occurred on May 14, 1988, at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert, with Bonham’s son, Jason Bonham, behind the drum kit.
The third and final reunion took place Dec. 10, 2007, at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at the O2 Arena in London, again with Jason Bonham behind the drum kit.
Ozzy Osbourne speaks onstage during the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on October 19, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
If you ever find yourself flying into Birmingham, England, you won’t be landing at Ozzy Osbourne Airport.
Despite a petition to rename it after the late metal legend and Birmingham hometown hero, the airport’s CEO, Nick Barton, tells BBC Radio WM it’s not going to happen.
“Birmingham, amazingly, has an extraordinary list of fantastically influential people, going from historic people like Charles Darwin, as well as Robert Plant and Sir Lenny Henry but the answer is no,” Barton says. “The airport name is so important for our future development of what we’ve got, which is a fantastic airport, but yet to grow significantly, which we will do on the back of its name.”
The airport’s current name is simply Birmingham Airport and uses the code BHX. And while it won’t be named after Ozzy, the airport plans to celebrate the Prince of Darkness and other famed Brummies with a mural.
Ozzy did also just posthumously receive another Birmingham honor, the Lord Mayor’s Award, on what would’ve been his 77th birthday Wednesday.
Cover of Yusuf/Cat Stevens’ memoir ‘Cat On The Road To Findout’ /(Genesis Publications)
Yusuf/Cat Stevens postponed the North American book tour supporting his memoir, Cat On The Road To Findout, in September due to visa issues. At the time, he had expressed hope that the tour could be rescheduled, but he’s now announced that it’s not going to happen.
“Unfortunately, my North American book tour is officially cancelled,” he said in a statement. “Unpredictably, and befuddling to us all, the actual visa finally got delivered after the last scheduled date of the tour had passed.”
“I know how disappointing this must be for those of you who were looking forward to the book tour. My agent and team explored every possible avenue, but it was all beyond our control,” he added. “I’m grateful for your patience and your support and I hope something new may be put together in the future, in better and brighter circumstances. Peace and love, always.”
Those still holding tickets for the tour will be notified about refunds.
Cat On The Road To Findout arrived in October. The tour, Cat on the Road to Findout: An Evening Of Tales, Tunes, and Other Mysteries, was supposed to kick off Oct. 2 in Philadelphia.
Guns N’ Roses have premiered two new songs called “Atlas” and “Nothin’.”
“‘Nothin” and ‘Atlas’ find the long-running band still at the height of their powers, showcasing two different sides of their personality,” a press release reads. “‘Atlas’ is GNR in full surging rock mode, while ‘Nothin” grows more introspective over floaty keys and an emotive guitar.”
You can listen to both songs out now on digitaloutlets. They’ll be released on a 7-inch vinyl single that will be available to preorder starting Dec. 12.
“Atlas” and “Nothin'” mark the first new GN’R music since the 2023 singles “The General” and “Perhaps.” The most recent Guns N’ Roses album is 2008’s Chinese Democracy, which was released before Slash and Duff McKagan rejoined Axl Rose in the band in 2016.
Guns N’ Roses will launch a 2026 U.S. tour in July.
ock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Steve Cropper, founding member of Booker T. & the MG’s and the Blues Brothers Band, performs onstage at The Rose on September 28, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
Booker T. and the M.G.’s guitarist Steve Cropper died Wednesday at the age of 84. The news was confirmed on Cropper’s Facebook page, which noted he “died peacefully in Nashville.”
“Steve was a beloved musician, songwriter, and producer whose extraordinary talent touched millions of lives around the world,” read the statement. “While we mourn the loss of a husband, father, and friend, we find comfort knowing that Steve will live forever through his music. Every note he played, every song he wrote, and every artist he inspired ensures that his spirit and artistry will continue to move people for generations.”
Booker T. and the M.G.’s was the house band for the legendary label Stax Records, with Cropper playing on iconic recordings like Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man” and Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay,” which he co-wrote and produced. He also produced many Stax recordings, and co-wrote songs like “In The Midnight Hour” with Wilson Pickett, and “Knock on Wood” with Eddie Floyd.
After leaving Stax in 1970, he went on to work with artists like Rod Stewart, Ringo Starr,John Lennon, The Jeff Beck Group, Peter Frampton and others. Cropper was also the lead guitarist in the Blues Brothers, fronted by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, and appeared in the two Blues Brothers movies: 1980’s The Blues Brothers and 1998’s Blues Brothers 2000.
Despite his departure from Stax, Cropper continued to record and tour with Booker T. and the M.G.’s, and they released their last album, That’s the Way It Should Be, in 1994.
Cropper launched his solo career with the 1969 album With a Little Help From My Friends. He released his most recent album, 2024’s Friendlytown, with his band The Midnight Hour. It featured guest appearances by ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons and Queen’s Brian May.
Cropper, nicknamed “The Colonel,” won two Grammy awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as a member of Booker T. and the M.G.’s. In 2005, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones performs during the final night of the Hackney Diamonds ’24 Tour at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena on July 21, 2024 in Ridgedale, Missouri. (Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images)
In celebration of his 50th anniversary as a member of The Rolling Stones, Ronnie Wood recently released a new art collection, Paint it Black, and says his goal was to capture the feeling of him and his bandmates — Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the late Charlie Watts — performing live.
“I wanted to capture the energy of Mick, Keith, me, our late friend Charlie, and the thousands of live shows we’ve been so lucky to play together,” Wood, who painted the artwork from memory, tells Rolling Stone. “I wanted the fans to see what I see when we’re onstage — music and art as one.”
He adds, “My hope is the Stones fans can feel the music when they look at these paintings.”
Reflecting on his tenure with The Stones, Wood says it’s “hard to believe” it’s been 50 years.
“What a joy. I was already chuffed with the bands I’d played in before ’75. But joining the Stones — that felt like coming home,” he says. “I still get a kick out of being a Stone, and it keeps me out of trouble — sometimes.”
Jimmy Buffett of Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band performs during KAABOO Del Mar music festival on September 16, 2016 in Del Mar, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
Jimmy Buffett was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 in the Musical Excellence category, and even though he passed away in 2023, it turns out he was still able to attend the ceremony.
Kenny Chesney and James Taylor performed in honor of Buffett at the induction. In a recent interview with Howard Stern, Chesney revealed that he and guitarist Mac McAnally, a member of Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, snuck some of the “Margaritaville” legend’s ashes into the ceremony.
“We were sitting back there warming up, trying to figure out our parts and stuff, and Mac comes up to me and he goes, ‘Look at this,’ and it was a small urn. He had Jimmy’s ashes in his coat pocket,” Chesney said. “So Jimmy’s ashes were in Mac McAnally’s coat pocket onstage with us as he was getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”
Turns out, it was Buffett’s daughter Savannah Buffett who gave McAnally the ashes.
“So even after he passed, Jimmy found a way to join the party,” Chesney added.
Buffett passed away Sept. 1, 2023, after battling a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer.
Foo Fighters are making the trip to the home of a certain Looney Tune.
Dave Grohl and company will headline UTAS Stadium on the Australian island state of Tasmania on Jan. 24. Presales begin Dec. 8 at 1 p.m. local time, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Dec. 10 at 4 p.m. local time.
The Foos have a storied history in Australia, including being the first international band to headline an Australian stadium show following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to their latest trek Down Under, the Foos will play a benefit concert in Los Angeles on Jan. 14, which is also Grohl’s birthday. They’ll launch a full U.S. tour in August.
Foreigner’s Lou Gramm at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction (Disney/Michael Le Brecht) II
Former Foreigner frontman Lou Gramm has revealed that he has a new solo album coming out next year.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer made the revelation during an appearance on the Kyle Meredith with… podcast, sharing that he worked on it with former Foreigner bassist Bruce Turgon. Gramm said, “He helped me write songs for my upcoming solo album, which is being released in March.”
Gramm said he’s been working on the album for over two years.
“I have been looking through my backlog of songs that were great songs, but were unfinished and didn’t make it to the cut on my records, and went back and finished some of them. And they’re awesome songs,” he explained. “So I’m taking some new songs that were written and some of the older songs that deserve to be on the album. I finished ’em up, polished ’em up, and they’re on the album. So it’s a little conglomerate of past and present.”
Gramm added that he expects the first single to be out in early February, noting the album “rocks hard.”
Gramm is set to play some select dates with Foreigner in December, starting with a two-night stand at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, on Wednesday and Thursday. A complete list of dates can be found at Foreigneronline.com.
“If I Could Fly” album artwork. (Primary Wave Music IV)
A previously unreleased Scott Weiland song called “If I Could Fly” has officially been unveiled on the 10th anniversary of the late Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman’s death.
The track was originally written in 2000 following the birth of his son, Noah Weiland.
“This song marks the first unveiling of original, unreleased material from Scott’s archive since his passing,” reads a post on Weiland’s Instagram. “It captures him at a deeply personal and inspired moment, showcasing the emotional depth that defined so much of his work.”
“If I Could Fly” is out now via digital outlets. It will be released on limited-edition vinyl Dec. 19.
Weiland died on Dec. 3, 2015, at age 48. Noah is playing a concert Wednesday night in Orange County, California, to commemorate the anniversary.
