Classic Rock News

If your mom grew up with a poster of Bon Jovi on her bedroom wall, here’s the perfect gift idea for Mother’s Day.

Jon Bon Jovi, in partnership with Hampton Water, the rosé wine brand he co-founded with his son Jesse Bongiovi, is giving you the chance to nominate your mother to receive a surprise phone call from him. And it doesn’t even have to be your mom: it can be a special mother figure in your life.  

You can nominate that special someone by buying a glass or a bottle of Hampton Water at participating Bally’s properties, including Atlantic City, Dover, Twin River Lincoln, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi, Kansas City and Quad Cities. You then scan the QR Code on the receipt to access the nomination page.

Jesse says in a statement, “We wanted to do something special for all the incredible moms out there, and what better way than to have Jon Bon Jovi personally reach out and make their day? This is a unique opportunity for fans to show their appreciation and give their moms a memory they’ll cherish forever.”

Since Jon and Jesse started Hampton Water back in 2016, it’s really taken off: It was the bestselling rosé at Wine.com in 2021 and 2022, and became the fastest-growing rosé in the U.S. Jon gives all the credit to Jesse, who he says is the guy in charge.

“Hampton Water is a huge success and Jesse Bongiovi works his butt off in every aspect of it,” he tells ABC Audio. “I just come in like Santa Claus and take a picture once in a while and get yelled at by my boss.”

And being part of the company has its perks.

“Of course I sample the goods,” he says. “That’s what I get paid!”

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The Rolling Stones are celebrating their new Hackney Diamonds tour with a special release from their Crossfire Hurricane premium rum. 

The limited-edition gift set, which costs $125, has been designed specifically for the tour, and features a black Hackney Diamonds glass container with The Stones’ tongue logo and a bottle of Crossfire Hurricane rum in a keepsake box.

“This commemorative box set of Crossfire Hurricane Rum is not just a celebration of our US tour,” The Stones share, “but a toast to the incredible journey we’ve shared with our fans.”

The gift set will be available in select cities that correspond with shows on the Hackney Diamonds tour. Fans at the shows will also be able to purchase the package via in-stadium digital billboards, with the purchase delivered to their homes via ReserveBar. 

As part of the special promotion, the Crossfire Hurricane Last Call Tour Ticket Giveaway has just launched, with the winner nabbing two tickets to the final Hackney Diamonds show in Santa Clara, California, on July 17.

The Rolling Stones launched their Hackney Diamonds tour on Sunday, April 28, in Houston. They bring it to Jazz Fest in New Orleans on Thursday, May 2. A complete list of dates can be found at rollingstones.com.

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Guitars from artists like John Lennon, Randy Bachman, Bob Dylan and more are part of Julien’s Auctions upcoming Music Icons auction, and now fans in Nashville will have a chance to see those items before they go on the auction block.

Julien’s just announced a special Music Icons exhibition, running from May 15 to May 18 at Nashville’s Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. 

Items on display will include Lennon’s lost 1965 Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar, which he used during the recording of the Help! album and film; a 1965 Fender Telecaster played by Dylan and Robbie Robertson; Bachman’s 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, known as the “American Woman” guitar; and Mark Knopfler’s 1987 Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman guitar. 

“Julien’s is thrilled to be back in Nashville to host this incredible exhibition of some of the greatest guitars in all of rock history at the world-class Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum,” David Goodman, CEO of Julien’s Auctions, shares. “This event welcomes enthusiasts and collectors to discover Rock and Roll’s musical heritage through these pieces of music history ahead of their auction in May.”

The Music Icons auction is happening Wednesday, May 29, and Thursday, May 30, live at the Hard Rock Café in New York. There will also be a special exhibition to view the items at the Hard Rock May 22-28. More info can be found at juliensauctions.com.

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Musician and author Jason Thomas Gordon set out to discover how superstar vocalists do what they do, which resulted in him interviewing over 70 well-known singers for his book The Singers Talk. Well, now those interviews are the inspiration for a new podcast series.

Season 1 of The Singers Talk features exclusive interviews with The Who’s Roger Daltrey, Rush’s Geddy Lee, Sammy Hagar, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, Bryan Adams and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, as well as Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon, The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and others.

The season also features tributes to Soundgarden‘s Chris Cornell by his Audioslave bandmate, Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello; Prince by The Revolution’s Wendy Melvoin; and Janis Joplin by Big Brother and the Holding Company‘s Peter Albin. 

“It’s a really brutal job, and I couldn’t believe there was no resource to find out how people like (Bruce) Springsteen do this night after night,” says Gordon. “So, I decided to do something about it and wrote The Singers Talk.”

Season 1 of The Singers Talk podcast is available now at volume.com and other podcast platforms.

The book The Singers Talk came out in September, with proceeds donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which was founded by Gordon’s grandfather, famed entertainer Danny Thomas.

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Guitar legend Duane Eddy passed away Tuesday in Franklin, Tennessee, at the age of 86, his manager confirmed to ABC Audio.

“Duane inspired a generation of guitarists the world over with his unmistakable signature ‘Twang’ sound,” read the statement from his rep. “He was the first rock and roll guitar god, a truly humble and incredible human being. He will be sorely missed.”

Eddy had 15 top-40 singles throughout the late ’50s and early ’60s, with his breakthrough being the 1958 instrumental track “Revel Rouser,” which peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became his first Gold record.

Eddy had another hit with “Peter Gunn,” the Henry Mancini-composed instrumental for the TV series of the same name. It gained renewed popularity in the ‘80s when Eddy rerecorded it with Art of Noise, resulting in a top-10 hit for the guitarist.

Other hits include “Cannonball,” “Movin ‘n Groovin” and “Because They’re Young,” with Eddy selling more than 100 million records worldwide. 

Eddy, whose music influenced artists like George Harrison and Bruce Springsteen, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2008.

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Mark Knopfler reveals in a new interview that he and the late guitarist Jeff Beck almost made an album together. 

He shared the news while talking to Guitar Player magazine about his recent charity single Going Home (Theme From Local Hero), which features a contribution from Beck.

Knopfler calls Jeff’s playing on the track “beautiful,” noting, “Jeff was just something other, y’know?”

“In fact, we’d just begun some talks, through management, about doing an album together,” he added. “I’m really sorry we didn’t get to work together.”

Beck’s contribution to Going Home (Theme From Local Hero) was said to be his final recording before his death in January 2023.

Going Home (Theme From Local Hero) was released in March and raised money for the U.K.’s Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America. In addition to Beck, it featured contributions from more than 60 artists, including The Who’s Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Queen’s Brian May, Rush’s Alex Lifeson and Ringo Starr.

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Duff McKagan has released a cover of the grunge supergroup Mad Season‘s song “River of Deceit,” recorded for an upcoming live album, Tenderness Live from Los Angeles.

The set captures a performance at LA’s El Rey Theatre in 2019 in support of the Guns N’ Roses bassist’s then-new solo record, Tenderness.

“Such a beautiful song written by guys from back home that I know now, and a couple who are no longer with us,” McKagan says of “River of Deceit.” “It feels like a celebration to me.”

Mad Season featured Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, bassist John Baker Saunders and late Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley. Late Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan also contributed to the lone Mad Season album, 1995’s Above.

You can listen to McKagan’s “River of Deceit” cover now via digital outlets. Tenderness Live from Los Angeles will be released on May 31.

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Foo Fighters have released new merch items benefiting two New Orleans charities.

The collection includes two T-shirts and two posters. Proceeds will support No Kid Hungry and Grace at the Green Light.

“NOLA WE LOVE YOU,” the Foos say.

For more info, visit Shop.FooFighters.com.

Foo Fighters will be playing the Big Easy when they headline the New Orleans Jazz Fest on May 3.

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Folks who use the Lumenate app to relax and meditate can now let John Lennon‘s music help them.

Starting May 1, as part of Mental Health Awareness Month, nine reimagined Meditation Mixes of the late Beatles‘ classic track “Mind Games” will be featured on the app, the result of a partnership between Lumenate, Lennon’s son Sean Ono Lennon and the John Lennon Estate. 

The nine mixes, which range from five to 33 minutes, will be matched with an immersive light sequence that will “elevate the musical journey, deepen the sense of relaxation, and allow users to see, hear and feel the music like never before.” 

“I’m very happy to be working with Lumenate on this release for Mental Health Awareness Month,” said Sean. “I think our Mind Games project is fun, meaningful, and potentially mind-expanding.” 

“My father was famously into meditation. I remember trying the ‘flicker machine’ he kept in the bedroom, which is what first introduced me to the idea of stroboscopic brain wave induction,” he added, noting, “I thought it made sense to combine the music of ‘Mind Games’ with the science of Lumenate. I really hope people enjoy the results as much as I have.”

“Mind Games” was the title track and lead single off Lennon’s fourth solo studio album, released in 1973. It peaked at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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While the price of concert tickets seems to be constantly going up these days, Live Nation is giving fans a way to enjoy live music this summer at a bargain price.

The concert promoter is set to launch its annual Concert Week, offering $25 all-in tickets to over 5.000 shows from 900 artists.

Music fans will have a whole host of concerts to choose from, featuring shows from artists like The Doobie Brothers, Sammy Hagar, John Fogerty, Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire, Bret Michaels, Deep Purple, Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, Santana and Counting Crows, Styx and Foreigner, and REO Speedwagon and Train, and more.

Concert Week ticket sales run from May 8 to 14 or while supplies last. There will also be T-Mobile and Rakuten presales beginning May 7 at 10 a.m. To purchase tickets, fans can go to LiveNation.com/ConcertWeek, search for their show and then look for “Concert Week Promotion.”

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