Classic Rock News

Bob Weir, rhythm guitarist, co-vocalist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at the age of 78.

His death was announced in a post on Instagram, which revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer in July, and had started undergoing treatment just weeks before Dead & Company would take the stage in August for three shows at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. 

“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir,” read the statement. “He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.”

“For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road. A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music,” the statement continued. “His work did more than fill rooms with music; it was warm sunlight that filled the soul, building a community, a language, and a feeling of family that generations of fans carry with them.”

The post noted that the San Francisco shows “were not farewells, but gifts,” adding, “Another act of resilience. An artist choosing, even then, to keep going by his own design.”

“There is no final curtain here, not really. Only the sense of someone setting off again,” the post concluded. “He often spoke of a three-hundred-year legacy, determined to ensure the songbook would endure long after him. May that dream live on through future generations of Dead Heads. And so we send him off the way he sent so many of us on our way: with a farewell that isn’t an ending, but a blessing. A reward for a life worth livin’.”

Weir co-founded Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and Bill Kreutzmann in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1965, with drummer Mickey Hart and lyricist Robert Hunter joining the group in 1967.

He co-wrote many of the band’s songs including “Sugar Magnolia,” “Playing in the Band,” “Jack Straw” and “One More Saturday Night.”

After Garcia’s death in 1995, Weir continued the Grateful Dead legacy by performing in various Dead offshoots, including the Other Ones, The Dead, Furthur and Dead & Company, the latter of which he formed in 2015 with Hart, Kreutzmann, John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti. He also formed the band RatDog in 1995, and had been touring with Wolf Bros since 2018.

Weir was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the Grateful Dead in 1994. The band also received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2024, and was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year in 2025.

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Instruments and other music memorabilia previously owned by The Beatles, David Gilmour, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and more are headed to auction in March.

The items are part of The Jim Irsay Collection — an assortment of instruments, sports items and pop culture memorabilia acquired over decades by Indianapolis Colts owner and CEO Jim Irsay, who died in May.

Christie’s will handle a series of auctions throughout 2026, with the first featuring over 400 items and running from March 3 to 17.

Among the items being sold: Paul McCartney’s handwritten lyrics to “Hey Jude”; the drumhead from the kit Ringo Starr used during The Beatles’ debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show; John Lennon’s 1963 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120 guitar, used during the recording sessions for “Paperback Writer” and “Rain”; and George Harrison’s stage-played Gibson SG Standard guitar, used between 1966 and 1969.

Also included are Cobain’s 1966 Fender Mustang, used while recording Nevermind and In Utero and featured in the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video; David Gilmour’s Black Strat guitar, played on Pink Floyd albums including The Dark Side of the Moon; Eric Clapton’s 1939 C.F. Martin & Co. 000-42 guitar, used during his iconic MTV Unplugged performance; and Bob Dylan’s handwritten lyrics to “The Times They Are A-Changin’.”

Items from the auction will be on public display at Christie’s at Rockefeller Plaza in New York from March 6 through March 12. Select highlights will also go on tour, with stops planed in London, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

The auction will take place both live and online, with a portion of the proceeds going to philanthropic causes Irsay supported during his lifetime. More details on the auction and the items available can be found at Christies.com.

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Former Deep Purple singer/bassist Glenn Hughes announced on social media that he’s canceling a planned spring U.S. tour to deal with a “minor health issue that requires his attention over the upcoming months.”

“I am taking advice from my medical team, who I am working closely with,” he wrote in the post. “Hoping to see you on the road of happy destiny.”

The tour, dubbed The Chosen Years, was supposed to kick off March 27 in San Juan Capistrano, California, and run through May 10 in Tempe, Arizona. Refunds will be available at point of purchase.

Hughes released his 15th studio album, Chosen, in September, his first solo album in nine years. He launched a European tour in support of the album that same month. This would have been his first U.S. tour since the album’s release.

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Songs by The Police, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie and more have jumped up the U.K. Official Singles Chart thanks to their use in the final season of Netflix’s Stranger Things.

The iconic Police tune “Every Breath You Take” has jumped to #17 from #41, which is its highest chart placement in 43 years. Meanwhile, Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” originally released in 1975, makes its first-ever appearance on the Official Singles Chart, coming in at #20.

In addition, Bowie’s “Heroes,” which plays over the closing credits of the series finale, lands at #34 on the chart, while The Clash’s “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” is at #40.

Other songs that saw chart jumps thanks to Stranger Things include: Prince’s “Purple Rain,” which charted the highest at #12; Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (Deal With God),” up two spots to #14; Diana Ross’ “Upside Down” at #26, its first time in the top 40 in 46 years; and Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now,” at #27, its highest position on the chart in 38 years.

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The Doors’ John Densmore and Robby Krieger have teamed with Playing For Change, a multimedia project that aims to connect the world through music, to release a reimagined take on the Doors’ 1971 classic “Riders on the Storm.”

The new recording, part of Playing For Change’s Song Around The World project, is noted as a tribute to the late Doors band members Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek. It has Densmore and Krieger joined by Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson, Foo Fighters’ keyboardist Rami Jaffee,  Sierra Ferrell, Don Was and over 20 international artists across eight countries.

“Vocally, Lukas Nelson filled Jim Morrison’s leather pants quite well!” Densmore says. “Ray would be proud of the way Rami Jaffee ‘channeled’ the piano solo.”

“Anytime Densmore and I get together with our instruments, it always works out well. I loved the final cut … seeing all the players on screen,” adds Krieger. “I’d like to thank everyone for their participation for such a  special cause. Luckily, it’s never difficult to find great players to play Doors songs.”

The just-released video for the song first premiered in December at the rerelease of the Doors’ 2009 documentary, When You’re Strange, directed by Tom DiCillo and narrated by Johnny Depp.

In addition to the song, a special limited-edition “Riders on the Storm” Song Around The World T-shirt and hat are now available. Proceeds benefit the Wicahpi Olowan Music Program, which was the first Playing For Change Foundation music program established in America serving Indigenous youth and communities.

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Paul Mescal is set to follow in the footsteps of Timothée Chalamet and Jeremy Allen White by doing his own singing on the big screen.

The actor is the subject of a new article in British GQ, where it’s confirmed that Mescal will be doing his own singing when he plays Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles project, The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event.

“I’ve learned so much. It’s really inspired a love,” Mescal tells the magazine. “I’ve always loved music, but getting to play one of the great songwriters and great frontmen has really lit a fire in terms of personally writing music and engaging and hearing music in a different way.”

Mescal, who has met with McCartney a couple of times, calls the rock legend “the most brilliant man.”

“I feel emotionally attached to him,” he says. “He received me with great kindness and warmth.”

As for the story of The Beatles, he notes, “[T]hey had the most fascinating lives, and the interpersonal politics between them all, the love and the frustration, it’s such rich territory.”

The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event is scheduled to hit theaters in April 2028. In addition to Mescal, it stars Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. Each film will be told from the point of view of one of the band members.

The Sony films will mark the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles have granted a studio the rights to the life stories of the band members and their legendary catalog of music.

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The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson said in his holiday message to fans that there would be new music coming — turns out, it’s a whole new album.

Chris and brother Rich Robinson just announced that The Black Crowes will release A Pound of Feathers on March 13, marking their10th studio album and their first since 2024’s Happiness Bastards.

“We made this record in eight to ten days,” Chris shares. “Bringing the high and inspiration from Happiness Bastards into this album, it was a natural progression. We experimented more, we wrote on instinct and how we were feeling in the moment. Rich brought a spontaneity to the record that I can’t describe, but it’s the best sh** he’s ever done.”

The Crowes are giving fans a preview of the album with not one, but two new singles. They’ve released the tracks “Profane Prophecy” and “Pharmacy Chronicles” to digital outlets.

“This album feels transformative to us,” Rich says. “Going back to our roots, we felt that spark in the studio and how we work together. Lighting a fire that hits harder, more jagged but is still true to our musical essence.”

Here is the track list for A Pound of Feathers:
“Profane Prophecy”
“Cruel Streak”
“Pharmacy Chronicles”
“Do The Parasite!”
“High And Lonesome”
“Queen of the B-Sides”
“It’s Like That”
“Blood Red Regrets”
“You Call This A Good Time”
“Eros Blues”
“Doomsday Doggerel”

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Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Carlos Santana has revealed that the Milagro Foundation, which he founded 25 years ago, has reached a new milestone.

The foundation, named after the Spanish word for miracle, is dedicated to supporting the world’s most vulnerable children and has now distributed just over $10 million to underserved communities.

“The Milagro Foundation is a way of giving back and making a difference in the lives of children who represent our future,” Santana says. “It is an honor to witness the resilience of these young people and to provide the tools they need to succeed.”

Money raised by the Milagro Foundation supports efforts in three areas: educational advancement, holistic wellness and creative expression. Santana has helped raise money for the nonprofit by donating a portion of the proceeds from concert ticket sales and licensed Santana products to the organization.

Santana will launch a new string of Las Vegas residency dates on Jan. 21 at the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. He will then launch his 2026 Oneness tour on March 28 in Thackerville, Oklahoma. A complete list of dates can be found at Santana.com.

Carlos is also set to be honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the Recording Academy’s 2026 Special Merit Awards Ceremony on Jan. 31 in Los Angeles.

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Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi is the subject of a new docuseries from Gibson TV.

Volume 1 of Tony Iommi: The Godfather of Heavy Metal is now streaming on YouTube. The series is described as “a deep dive into the life, legacy, and groundbreaking sound of Black Sabbath’s legendary guitarist.” It features new interviews with Iommi, as well as contributions from rockers like Queen’s Brian May, Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Yungblud, Zakk Wylde and more.

“I’m very grateful to Gibson for this new documentary series and for honoring my role in the story of heavy metal,” says Iommi. “Hearing the kind words from so many incredible artists is really humbling.Thank you all for telling the story with such heart—and to the fans who’ve kept it alive. Long may it continue!”

The first episode covers Iommi’s early life growing up in Birmingham, England, including an industrial accident that almost ended his career. It also delves into the origins of Black Sabbath, including Iommi meeting bandmates Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler.

(Video includes uncensored profanity.)

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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and his band The Dirty Knobs have booked an opening spot on Chris Stapleton’s upcoming All-American Road Show tour.

The tour kicks off May 25 in Nashville, with Campbell and The Dirty Knobs set to open the Oct. 2 show in Bristow, Virginia.

A ticket presale for all shows on the tour begins Jan. 15 at 10 a.m. local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public Jan. 16 at 10 a.m. local time.

This isn’t the first time Campbell and The Dirty Knobs have toured with Stapleton. They previously opened shows on his 2025 tour.

The artists have also collaborated together several times in the past. Stapleton appears on the song “Don’t Wait Up” on The Dirty Knobs’ 2024 album, Vagabonds, Virgins and Misfits. He also appeared on the song “Pistol’ Packin’ Mama” on their 2020 release, Wreckless Abandon, and he co-wrote another song on the album.

Campbell also appeared on Stapleton’s 2020 album, Starting Over, and co-wrote two songs on the album. 

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