Classic Rock News

On this Day, Sept. 10, 1950 …

Joseph Anthony Pereira, better known as Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts. 

Perry, along with Steven Tyler, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer and guitarist Ray Tabano, formed Aerosmith in Boston in 1970, with Tabano replaced by Brad Whitford in 1971.

They released their self-titled debut in 1973, which featured the tune “Dream On,” which went on to be a classic and peaked at #6 after being reissued in 1975. Their third studio album, 1975’s Toys in the Attic, was their first real mainstream success, thanks to the top 40 hit “Sweet Emotion” and the original version of “Walk This Way.”

Future hits included a remake of “Walk This Way” with Run DMC, “Dude Looks Like A Lady,” “Angel,” “Love in an Elevator,” “Janie’s Got A Gun” and “Livin on the Edge.” They landed their first number one single with “I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing,” a Diane Warren-penned track from the Armageddon soundtrack.

Aerosmith was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and Perry and Tyler were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.

Outside of Aerosmith, Perry has released six solo albums and three with The Joe Perry Project. He’s also released three albums as part of Hollywood Vampires, a supergroup that also features Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp.

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Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, have been together for 31 years, and Furnish is now sharing the secret to their success.

In an interview with People, Furnish opens up about the steps they take to keep their relationship strong, including the fact that they’ve “never been dishonest with each other.”

“We’ve always talked very openly about our feelings and when we’ve had challenges and things we have to overcome, we always talk it out,” he says.

And you know that old adage “never go to bed angry”? They stand by that as well.

Furnish says they “never go to bed on an argument,” even it means staying up till the wee hours of the morning.

“We always make sure that before we turn in at night, if there’s any kind of hostility in the air or, ‘I’m not speaking to you. Really pissed me off,’ we don’t go to sleep on it,” he explains. “We don’t carry it over the next day.”

He adds, “I just think that’s all about respecting the relationship.”

Elton and David began dating in 1993 and entered into a civil partnership in 2005, before officially getting married in 2014 once same-sex marriage was legal in the U.K. They are parents to two sons, Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11.

Furnish co-directed the new documentary Elton John: Never Too Late with R.J. Cutler, which just premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. It will stream on Disney+ Dec. 13.

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Jackson Browne is set to perform at Steve Earle’s 10th annual John Henry’s Friends Benefit concert, taking place Nov. 4 at New York’s Town Hall. 

This will be Browne’s second time performing at the benefit, having previously played the inaugural outing.

“Jackson Browne suited and showed up for our very first John Henry’s Friends concert,” Earle shares. “We are thrilled to announce that, in celebration of our 10th anniversary, Jackson will return as our special guest.”

Earle will once again host and perform at the concert, which is set up in a guitar pull format and will also feature performances from singer/songwriter Margaret Glaspy, and Americana duo Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams.

Tickets for the concert go on sale to the general public Sept 23. Proceeds benefit The Keswell School, an educational program for children and young adults with autism spectrum disorder.

Previous editions of the John Henry’s Friends Benefit featured performances by Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, David Byrne, Graham Nash and Lucinda Williams.

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If you’re looking for a new addition to your spooky season decorations, Metallica is hoping their newest piece of merch will “spark” some interesting conversation.

The metal legends are selling a figure replica of the electric chair from the cover artwork of their 1984 sophomore album, Ride the Lightning.

The hand-painted figure stands about 6 inches tall and costs $32.99. It features the Metallica logo embossed on the seat and the phrase “Ride the Lightning” carved into the base.

You can preorder your figure now via Metallica.com ahead of its release date, which, of course, is Halloween.

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While Billy Joel may have ended his residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden earlier this year, he certainly hasn’t given up performing.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just announced a new show at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Feb. 22, marking his first time at the venue since 2008.

Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

The Connecticut show is the second concert Billy has scheduled for 2025. He previously announced he’ll headline Hard Rock Live in Seminole, Florida, on Jan. 17.

He also has several remaining dates on the schedule for 2024, including a show with Rod Stewart in Cleveland Friday, plus three shows with Sting and two solo concert in Inglewood, California, and Hollywood, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at billyjoel.com.

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The late David Bowie has his first-ever #1 song on the country charts thanks to country star Chris Young.

Young’s latest single, “Young Love & Saturday Nights,” just hit the top of the country chart. Since the song is based on Bowie’s 1974 hit “Rebel Rebel,” it earns the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer his first country #1 as a writer. 

“Every number one is special, but this one — my 14th — really hits differently,” Chris says. “To be part of Bowie finding success in country music eight years after his passing is truly an honor and it’s been wild to watch audiences at my live shows reacting to this song that has its roots in a rock staple from 50 years ago. Just wow.”

Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” appeared on his eighth studio album, Diamond Dogs, which was released in 1974. It was a Hot 100 hit for Bowie in the U.S., peaking at #64 on the chart, and went to #5 in the U.K.

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Heart is getting back out on the road in 2025.

After postponing their 2024 Royal Flush tour following Ann Wilson’s revelation about her battle with cancer, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have revealed the rescheduled dates for the tour.

The trek will now kick off Feb. 28 at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, hitting 19 cities — including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, Milwaukee and Buffalo — before wrapping April 5 in Quebec, Canada. 

“The best is yet to come!” Ann shared about the resumption of the tour. Her sister and bandmate Nancy Wilson added, “We are so so excited to resume this tour. We were just starting to fire on all cylinders and the vibe was entirely MAJOR. To be continued.”

Tickets purchased for the original tour will be honored for the new dates, with remaining tickets on sale now. 

A complete list of dates can be found at heart-music.com.

The 74-year-old Ann announced in a July social media post that she had undergone “an operation to remove something, that, as it turns out, was cancerous.” While she was feeling good, she had to undergo preventative chemotherapy, and the band postponed their tour in order for her to take the time needed to fully recover.

Prior to postponing the U.S. tour, Heart had already postponed a set of European dates, but so far they have not rescheduled those shows.

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The new Bruce Springsteen documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band premiered at the Toronto Film Festival Sunday, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at his current tour, which kicked off in February 2023.

Following the screening, Springsteen and director Tom Zimney sat down for a Q&A moderated by longtime friend and E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt, who asked The Boss how it feels to be playing with the same friends for over 50 years. 

“We have the only jobs in the world where the people you went to high school with? At 75, you’re still with them. You live your life with them,” Springsteen said, according to Rolling Stone. “You see them grow up, you see them get married, you see them get divorced, you see them go to jail, you see them get out of jail, you see them renege on their child payments, you see them pay up, you see them get old, you see their hair go gray, and you’re in the room when they die.”

He added, “In one way, I would wish you all such a lovely, complete experience with your good friends. On the other hand, it lays a weight on you … because of the time you’ve spent together and the things you’ve done.” He noted, “It reminds me of that scene in Blade Runner, where he says ‘I’ve seen things [you wouldn’t believe]’ … We’ve seen some of that s***!”

But it certainly sounds like Springsteen has no regrets.

“But if I had to go tomorrow I’d be okay,” Springsteen said. “Because what a f*****’ ride!” 

Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band is set to debut Oct. 25 on Hulu and Disney+.

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Pete Townshend is getting ready to drop another set of half-speed mastered vinyl reissues from his solo catalog.

The latest will be the final set in the series, and will include 1989’s The Iron Man: The Musical By Pete Townshend and 1993’s Psychoderelict (Music Only), marking the latter’s first time on vinyl.

Both albums have been mastered on limited-edition black vinyl by noted producer and engineer Jon Astley, who’s also Pete’s former brother-in-law. The half-speed mastering technique produces superior quality vinyl LPs.

The Iron Man: The Musical by Pete Townshend is an adaptation of the short story by Ted Hughes. It features performances from The Who frontman Roger Daltrey, bluesman John Lee Hooker and Nina Simone, and includes two songs that feature the then-surviving original members of The Who, Pete, Roger and John Entwistle. 

Psychoderelict, Townshend’s last solo album, was structured like a radio play and featured dialogue, although the new half-speed master removes the dialogue from the original album.

Both albums will be released Oct. 18 and are available for preorder now. 

This is the third set of solo half-speed master vinyl reissues by Townshend. In June 2023 he reissued 1977’s Rough Mix and 1980’s Empty Glass. In May of this year he released 1982’s All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes and 1985’s White City (A Novel).

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On This Day, Sept. 9, 2014 …

U2 gave away their new album Songs of Innocence, with the record automatically appearing in the music libraries of some 500 million iTunes users.

The album, the 13th studio release from the Irish rockers, included the lead single “The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)” which was featured in a TV ad for Apple. Other singles included “Every Breaking Wave” and “Song for Someone.”

But not everyone wanted Songs of Innocence. In fact, angry Apple customers compared the unwanted album to “spam” or “junk mail,” and Apple was forced to create a way for users to delete it from their accounts.

Bono later apologized, taking “full responsibility” for the stunt.

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