Classic Rock News

One day after reports claimed Sam Mendes cast Saoirse Ronan to play Paul McCartney’s wife Linda McCartney in his upcoming Beatles films, a new report claims the director has also found the actress to play Ringo Starr’s wife.

According to Variety, British actress Mia McKenna-Bruce has been cast to play Ringo’s first wife, Maureen Starkey (Ringo’s birth name is Richard Starkey), in The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event. Ringo will be played by Saltburn star Barry Keoghan.

The 28-year-old McKenna-Bruce starred in the 2023 film How to Have Sex, which earned her a BAFTA Rising Star Award, as well as a British Independent Film Award. She also appeared in the Peacock series Vampire Academy.

Mendes’ four Beatles films are scheduled to hit theaters in April 2028, with each one told from the point of view of a different band member. In addition to Keoghan, they will star Paul Mescal as McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.

Ringo married Maureen, a hairdresser who he met when she was 16, in 1965. The couple had three children — Zak Starkey, Jason Starkey and Lee Starkey — before divorcing in 1975. Maureen passed away from cancer in December 1994 at age 48.

Ringo went on to marry actress Barbara Bach in 1981, after meeting on the set of the 1980 movie Caveman.  

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When Rush announced dates for their Fifty Something tour on Monday, surviving band members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson revealed that drummer Anika Nilles would be joining them behind the drum kit, filling the space left empty by the 2020 death of their bandmate Neil Peart.

Now that the news is out, Nilles has addressed her fans and the many Rush fans who have started following her on social media.

In a post on Instagram, Nilles describes the days since the announcement as “quite overwhelming,” and goes on to thank Geddy and Alex “for their trust and for welcoming me on this incredible new journey with @rush.”

“I also don’t want to miss the chance to warmly welcome all the new faces here and to thank you for your kind and open-minded words – they truly mean a lot,” she writes. “At the same time, I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has followed and supported my journey over the years.”

“We’re all in this together now, and I couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead,” she adds.

Rush’s Fifty Something tour will hit seven cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with the band playing two sets each night, promising new sets for each show. The trek launches June 7 in Los Angeles and wraps Sept. 19 in Cleveland.
 

A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at Rush.com.

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A new behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Bruce Springsteen movie, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, highlights the movie’s star, Jeremy Allen White, with both director Scott Cooper and Springsteen describing why he was right for the role.

“Finding someone to play Bruce Springsteen is as daunting a task as I’ve ever faced,” Cooper says in the clip. “Thankfully there is Jeremy Allen White.”

Springsteen adds, “The minute they said film, and somebody was gonna have to portray me, I immediately thought of Jeremy.” He noted there was some physical resemblance and something in the way White carried himself.

“And then there was the way the camera read his internal life that was really essential,” Springsteen says. “I just said this is the guy, you know, I didn’t have a #2.”

White so embodied the role of Springsteen that it even impressed the rocker’s wife, Patti Scialfa.

“By the end he had fully become Bruce Springsteen,” Cooper says. “Bruce’s wife, Patti, when she saw him on set, she said, ‘Oh my God, Bruce, [he] looks like when I first met you.'”

“Everybody has their own idea of Bruce Springsteen, he’s such a legend. So taking on the role, there was a big leap of faith,” White says. “But once I knew I had Bruce’s blessing, that gave me the confidence to go on a journey.”

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere opens Oct. 24.

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Paul McCartney has paid tribute to his late Beatles bandmate John Lennon on what would have been the musician’s 85th birthday.

McCartney shared a black-and-white photo on Instagram of him and John, taken by Paul’s late wife, Linda McCartney. He wrote, “Sweet memories on this day of a very special friend. Happy birthday John.”

The Beatles’ social media account also marked Lennon’s birthday, captioning a video montage, “Remembering John on his birthday today.” Abbey Roads Studios, where The Beatles recorded many of their albums, also marked the day, writing, “Today, we’re remembering @johnlennon on what would have been his 85th birthday. … It remains an honour to have played a part in his story.”

Lennon’s birthday is also being celebrated in a variety of other ways.

The Yoko Ono-conceived Imagine Peace Tower, in Reykjavík, Iceland, is set to be relit in honor of The Beatles’ legend at 3 p.m. ET, with the moment livestreamed at imaginepeacetower.com. It will remain lit until Dec. 9, the day of his passing.

A video for Lennon and Ono’s One-to-One concert performance of “Imagine” has also been posted on YouTube. The 1972 concert is part of the new Power to the People box set, which will be released Friday.

Plus, the Lennon estate is hosting a free global Power to the People listening party at 3 p.m. ET on the Citizen of Nutopia website, which is an interactive art project celebrating the world of John & Yoko. Escape to Nutopia, the interactive game that puts players into the mind of Lennon, will be launching the second installment in the game immediately following the listening party.

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Chicago is set to make a return to Las Vegas.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have announced a nine-show residency at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, kicking off Feb. 13 and running through Feb. 28.

This is the ninth year in a row Chicago has played The Venetian, making their residency the longest-running residency in the venue’s history.

A Citi presale will begin Monday at 10 a.m. PT, with additional presales running throughout the week. Tickets go on sale to the general public Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. PT.

Chicago is due to launch a new set of tour dates on Oct. 29 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Their complete schedule can be found at Chicagotheband.com.

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Ringo Starr‘s post-Beatles solo career is being celebrated with new colored vinyl reissues. The rocker’s first four solo albums are set to be reissued on new limited-edition pressings on Oct. 24.

Reissues include Ringo’s two 1970 releases, the covers album Sentimental Journey on buttermilk yellow vinyl, and the country influenced Beaucoups of Blues on baby blue vinyl.

There’s also 1973’s Ringo, which hit #2 on the Billboard 200 and features classics like “Photograph” and “You’re Sixteen (You’re Beautiful And You’re Mine)” on molten lava vinyl, and 1974’s Goodnight Vienna, another top-10 hit, on psychedelic waves custom color vinyl.

All four reissues are available now for preorder at RingoStarr.com.

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On This Day, Oct. 9, 2009…

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band headlined the last ever concert at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The show was the final night of a five-night stand at the venue in his home state. Each show opened with a performance of the then new song “Wrecking Ball,” which he wrote in response to the closing of the stadium. The song would wind up being the title track of his 17th studio album, released in 2011.

In total, Springsteen played 24 shows at the stadium from 1985 to 2009. It was replaced with MetLife Stadium, which opened in May 2011. Springsteen played MetLife for the first time in 2012 on his Wrecking Ball tour.

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Ringo Starr, Bonnie Raitt and the Eagles are among the artists who have contributed to a new auction to benefit the National Independent Talent Organization and Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

The auction features signed instruments and other rare memorabilia, including a drumhead signed by Starr, a Takamine acoustic guitar signed by the current members of the Eagles, and a Fender Stratocaster signed by Raitt.

There’s also a Fender Stories Collection Mike Campbell Red Dog Telecaster signed by the Heartbreakers star, a drumhead signed by the members of Def Leppard, a signed 2009 ESP black Firebird guitar from Metallica frontman James Hetfield’s personal collection, a Fender Squier Stratocaster signed by members of Styx and more.

The NITO x Sweet Relief charity auction is running from now until Oct. 22 via Charity Buzz.

Proceeds from the auction will go toward NITO’s work supporting independent talent reps and the artists they work for. A portion will also go toward the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which helps musicians and music industry workers in need.

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KISS founder Gene Simmons is doing okay after getting into a car accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer updated fans about his condition in a post on X, sharing, “Thanks, everybody, for the kind wishes. I’m completely fine.”

“I had a slight fender bender. It happens,” he added. “Especially to those of us [who] were horrible drivers. And that’s me. All is well.”

According to a statement obtained by ABC News from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were dispatched Tuesday after reports of a “traffic collision” on the Pacific Coast Highway, noting a “black Lincoln Navigator struck a parked vehicle.”

“A preliminary investigation revealed the driver, a male adult, might have suffered a medical emergency before the crash,” read the statement. “The male adult was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.”

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Sam Mendes has reportedly found his Linda McCartney.

Deadline reports that Oscar-nominated actress Saoirse Ronan has been cast to play Paul McCartney’s first wife and Wings bandmate in the director’s The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event.

The four films are expected to hit theaters in April 2028, with each one told from the point of view of a different band member. It will star Paul Mescal as McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.

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.

Linda, who passed away from breast cancer in April 1998, started her career as a photographer, shooting such celebrities as Bob Dylan, Neil Young and The Who. She shot Eric Clapton for Rolling Stone in 1968, becoming the first female photographer to land a cover of the magazine.

Paul and Linda married in March 1969 and had three children together, Mary McCartney, Stella McCartney and James McCartney. Paul also adopted Linda’s daughter Heather, from her first marriage to Joseph Melville See Jr.

After The Beatles broke up in 1970, Paul taught Linda how to play keyboards and she became part of his post-Beatles band Wings. She was also a vocal animal rights activist and successful vegetarian cookbook author.

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