The Beatles‘ George Harrison and his wife, OliviaHarrison, were attacked in their Friar Park estate by a 34-year-old mentally ill intruder named Michael Abram.
Abram punctured George’s lung with a kitchen knife and stabbed him more than 40 times. Abram was finally stopped by Olivia, who repeatedly struck him with a fireplace poker and a lamp.
In the hospital, George had to have part of his punctured lung removed.
Abrams was tried and found not guilty by reason of insanity and was sent to a mental health facility. He was released in 2002 and apologized to the Harrisons.
George died in 2001 after a battle with cancer. He was 58.
There certainly were a lot of big things happening in music in 2024. Here’s a roundup of some of the other music stories that made headlines this year:
– The four members of R.E.M. – Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry – reunited for a performance of their 1991 hit “Losing My Religion” at their induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York. It was the first time all four members performed together since 1995. Also inducted into the Hall of Fame that night was Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker.
– After postponing their 2023 Peace Out tour when frontman Steven Tyler fractured his larynx onstage, Aerosmith rescheduled the tour — only to cancel it in August, one month before it was to start up again. Not only that, they announced their retirement from the road for good, citing Tyler’s continued vocal issues.
– Also announcing their retirement were Jeff Lynne’s ELO, noting their 2023 Over and Out Tour would be their last, and REO Speedwagon, who cited “irreconcilable differences” between the band’s only two remaining original members, frontman Kevin Cronin and bassist and vocalist Bruce Hall.
– There were a lot of big catalog sales this year, including KISS, who made a deal with Pophouse, the Swedish company behind ABBA’s London hologram show, Voyage. Reports claimed the deal was worth $300 million. Queen also reportedly sold their catalog to Sony, in a deal said to be worth $1.27 billion.
– Speaking of Queen, in September guitarist Brian May revealed he was recovering from a “minor stroke” that left him without the use of his left arm, putting his ability to play guitar in doubt. By the time he made his announcement he had already been improving.
– The Zombies’ Rod Argent announced his retirement from touring after suffering a stroke. It prompted the band to cancel all their planned shows for 2024.
– Journey members Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain were in a court battle over the band’s finances. Cain sued over what he claimed was Schon’s overspending and requested the court appoint a third party to the board of their company to settle their disagreements. Schon called the accusations “absolute rubbish.” In the end they settled the dispute and agreed to hire a third director of their company.
– The Guess Who founding singer Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman settled the lawsuit they filed against original members Jim Kale and Garry Peterson in October 2023, accusing them of tricking fans into thinking Cummings and Bachman were still performing with the group, when they were actually getting a “cover band.” The settlement resulted in Cummings and Bachman acquiring the trademark for the name The Guess Who.
– Don Henley took the stand in the trial of three men charged with conspiracy involving nearly 100 pages of his handwritten notes and lyrics for the Eagles album Hotel California. In the end, the case was dismissed by a judge due to Henley’s lawyers’ “jarringly late” disclosure of thousands of pages of material.
– Speaking of the Eagles, they wrapped the Long Goodbye tour but it didn’t keep them off the stage. They kicked off a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere in September. Also launching a residency at the Sphere was Dead & Company, who just announced a second residency in 2025.
– And Lenny Kravitz, who dropped the new album Blue Electric Light this year, went viral with a video of him lifting weights in boots, a mesh shirt, leather pants and sunglasses.
Elton John‘s first official year off from touring the world didn’t leave the Rocket Man any less busy, but he had to deal with some major ups and downs throughout 2024. Thankfully, there seemed to be more highs than lows — here’s a rundown.
The highs:
In January, Elton became the 19th entertainer to become an EGOT winner when his Disney+ special Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium won an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). His tally now includes six Grammys, two Oscars, one Tony and one Emmy.
In February, Elton auctioned off the contents of his home in Atlanta for more than $20 million. In March, he hosted his annual Oscar Viewing Party and raised nearly $11 million for his AIDS Foundation.
Also in March, Elton and his songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin, were honored with the prestigious Gershwin Prize for Popular Music. Among the acts paying tribute to them at the ceremony with live performances were Metallica, Joni Mitchell, Annie Lennox, Garth Brooks, Charlie Puth and Brandi Carlile.
In the fall, the documentary Elton John: Never Too Late, detailing his career and complicated personal life, premiered at multiple film festivals worldwide. A new song Elton and Bernie co-wrote for the project with Brandi Carlile and producer Andrew Watt, also called “Never Too Late,” won a Hollywood Music In Media Award for Best Song from a Documentary Film. It’s also eligible for Oscar consideration.
Elton’s new musical based on The Devil Wears Prada opened in London’s West End with Vanessa Williams starring as fearsome fashion editor Miranda Priestley; so far it appears to be doing well.
In December, Time named Elton its 2024 Icon of the Year.
The lows:
In November 2023, Elton told the crowed at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony that he and Bernie had just completed a new album. In his end-of-year message to fans in December, Elton promised a new album would be released in 2024. In May, Bernie said, “Elton and I have an album coming out soon … it’s all written and recorded.” But the album never appeared, and Elton hinted it was because of a major medical issue he dealt with in 2024.
In early September, Elton told fans he was dealing with a “severe eye infection” that had left him with “only limited vision in one eye.” Elton told ABC News’Robin Roberts in November, “I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye … and it’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see. And my left eye’s not the greatest.” Asked for an update on the album, Elton said, “I don’t know … going into the studio and recording, I don’t know, because I can’t see a lyric, for start.”
Elton went on to say, “I can’t see anything. I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything.”
Not long after that, Elton appeared at a charity performance of The Devil Wears Prada and told the audience, “Now I have lost my sight. I haven’t been able to see the performance but I have enjoyed listening to it.”
Meanwhile, Elton’s other musical, Tammy Faye — based on the life of the late televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker — opened on Broadway Nov. 14 but closed on Dec. 8 after just 29 regular performances. According to The New York Times, the show, which cost $25 million, won awards in London but was poorly received once it moved to Broadway. Indeed, The Times called it “strangely bland” and said the box office receipts were “disastrous.”
A building that once housed the Morrison Hotel, made famous on the cover of The Doors‘ fifth studio albumof the same name, was destroyed by fire on Thursday, Variety reports.
According to the outlet, 17 fire companies responded to the blaze at the building, which housed a transient hotel when it was immortalized in a 1969 photo by rock photographer Henry Diltz and was used for the album’s cover. It took 30 minutes for flames to be controlled.
Prior to the fire breaking out, plans were in the works to turn the building, on the corner of Pico Boulevard and Hope Street in Los Angeles, into affordable housing. It has now been red-tagged, meaning it is unsafe to be occupied.
Released in February 1970, Morrison Hotel peaked at #4 in the U.S. and featured the single “Roadhouse Blues,” which was a Hot 100 hit for the band and became a staple at their live shows.
The Grammys are coming up on Feb. 2, but before we find out the 2025 winners, CBS is giving viewers a look back at winners past with two Grammy specials, airing Dec. 27 and Dec. 29.
Grammy Greats: The Stories Behind the Songs focuses on past winners of the Song of the Year category. Song of the Year and Record of the Year are different because Song goes to the people who wrote the song, while Record goes to the artist, the producer and the engineer. Stars like Bonnie Raitt, Sting, Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald are all featured in the special, along with John Mayer, Alicia Keys, Mark Ronson, Billie Eilish and Richard Marx. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Sunday’s special is called Grammy Greats: The Most Memorable Moments, focusing on those special duets and other events that only seem to take place on the Grammy stage. Among the artists featured in this special: Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Melissa Etheridge and Annie Lennox, as well as Dua Lipa, Ricky Martin and LLCool J. It airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
A happy 80th birthday to Foreigner founder Mick Jones.
Jones got his first break in music in the 1960s as a member of Nero and the Gladiators and later played in such bands as Spooky Tooth and the Leslie West Band. He formed Foreigner in 1976, with multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald, singer Lou Gramm, drummer Dennis Elliott, keyboardist Al Greenwood and bassist Ed Gagliardi.
The band released their self-titled debut album in 1977, which peaked at #4 on the Billboard chart and featured two top-10 hits, “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice.” The album’s follow-up, Double Vision, was also a hit, peaking at #3 thanks to songs like “Hot Blooded,” which hit #3, and the album’s title track, which went to #2.
Foreigner landed their only #1 album with 1981’s 4, which spent 10 weeks on top and featured hit singles “Urgent,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and “Juke Box Hero.” The follow-up, 1984’s Agent Provocateur, peaked at #4 and featured the band’s only #1 single, “I Want To Know What Love Is.”
Foreigner experienced various lineup changes over the years, with Jones being the only member to appear on all of Foreigner’s albums. As of 2003 he was the only original member still touring with the group, although since 2021 his participation in their tours declined.
In February 2024 Jones revealed he had stopped performing because he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, although he insisted he was still very much involved with Foreigner behind the scenes.
Jones and Gramm were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014, and in 2024, almost 22 years after they were first eligible, Foreigner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, Jones’ health kept him from attending the ceremony.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s fifth studio album, Double Fantasy, hit #1 on the Billboard 200 and went on to spend eight weeks in the top spot.
The album was released in November and initially didn’t perform well, but after Lennon’s Dec. 8 death the album became a commercial success. It was eventually certified triple Platinum by the RIAA.
Double Fantasy, recorded at the Hit Factory in New York City, featured such songs as “(Just Like) Starting Over,” which hit #1 three weeks after Lennon’s death; “Woman,” which peaked at #2; and “Watching The Wheels,” which peaked at #10.
The album went on to win Album of the Year at the 1991 Grammy Awards.
Billy Corgan has shared a statement mourning the death of professional wrestler Jeremy Laymon, known by his ring name Jax Dane.
Dane passed away on Christmas Day at age 48. Dane wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance, or NWA, which Corgan has owned since 2017.
In an Instagram post, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman writes, “Friend, mentor, absolute professional in and out of the ring, and loyalist who went out of his way to support and rebuild the NWA of today, Jax Dane loved professional wrestling deeply and he certainly loved those he fought and rode with.”
He continues, “I know I speak for all of the National Wrestling Alliance when saying Jax will be missed, and we will do our best to honor him and make his family proud as we carry forth.”
“You see those men and women who carry the legacy of a champion because they have rise to such heights,” Corgan concludes. “And then there are those that earn the respect of a champion simply because of who they are. To this I can say, simply and personally, that Jax was such a man, and will forever be in our hearts.”
Corgan’s love of wrestling and role as president of the NWA is documented in the reality series Billy Corgan’s Adventures in Carnyland, which premiered in May.
Bon Jovi had a very busy year, as they celebrated the 40th anniversary of the release of their self-titled debut album. To mark the occasion, the band debuted an archival site, dropped a new album, told their secrets in a docuseries and more.
Among the highlights:
– To kick off their 40th anniversary celebration, Bon Jovi released a deluxe version of their self-titled debut, featuring nine never-before-heard bonus tracks. They also debuted Backstage with Bon Jovi, an online archive of the band’s history.
– Jon Bon Jovi was celebrated as the Recording Academy’s MusiCares Person of the Year, with Bruce Springsteen, Melissa Etheridge and Sammy Hagar among the many performers on hand to honor him. Bon Jovi performed as well, marking one of Jon’s first performances since having reconstructive surgery on his vocal cords following the band’s 2022 tour. Although there were rumors original Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was going to attend, he was a no-show.
– The band was the subject of a four-part Hulu docuseries, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, which detailed the history of the band and also had Jon opening up about his vocal cord surgery. The docuseries also featured an interview with Sambora, although he indicated he wasn’t totally happy with it, at one point telling People, “It’s his project and it’s his perspective.” Prior to the comments, Jon said he and Richie watched the series together, insisting there was “no animosity” between them. Despite his feelings on the doc, Richie said in interviews that he’d be open to a Bon Jovi reunion.
– Ahead of the doc, Jon sat down for an interview with Michael Strahan, during which he suggested he was “not a saint” in his 35-year marriage to wife Dorothea Hurley, sharing, “I’m not saying that, that there weren’t a hundred girls in my life.” He later said he meant to say hundreds of girls had thrown themselves at him, calling his original comments an “arrogant cliché.”
– Bon Jovi released the new album Forever in June, which was their first album since 2020 and the first since Jon’s vocal cord surgery. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and the band became one of only five bands to have a top-10 album in each of the last five decades.
– Jon gained a daughter-in-law when his son Jake married Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown.
– Jon opened a bar in Nashville, JBJ’s Nashville, with the band turning up for a surprise performance on opening night.
– In September, Jon helped talk a distraught woman off the ledge of a Nashville bridge. He had been filming a music video with the band The War and Treaty, and he and another person approached the woman and helped persuade her to come off the ledge.
– Sayreville High School renamed its performing arts center after Jon. It’s now known as the Jon Bon Jovi Performing Arts Center and Music Suite.
Neil Young gave fans a Christmas present on Wednesday, sharing a video on social media of him performing “Silver and Gold,” a song written in the ’80s that wound up being the title track off his 2000 album.
According to Rolling Stone, Young has rarely performed “Silver and Gold” live, and the video marks Young’s first performance of the song since 2007.
The video cuts off with Young saying, “Is that our first fireside session?” Rolling Stone notes that Young went on to share that he has a new album in the works called Talkin’ to the Trees, and he’s also planning a new tour of the U.S. and Europe, with his most recent band Chrome Hearts.
Young toured with Crazy Horse in 2024, although he played about 15 shows before canceling the tour in June, citing health reasons. Since then he’s played only a handful of shows, including Farm Aid in September, which was his first with Chrome Hearts, made up of Micah Nelson, Anthony LoGerfo and Corey McCormick.
