Classic Rock News

Jimmy Buffett’s wife, Jane Slagsvol, shared a touching tribute to her late husband, who passed away September 1 at the age of 76. 

“As Jimmy said a few months ago, ‘growing old is not for sissies.’ These last few years have been unimaginably challenging for Jimmy and me, and we’re definitely not sissies,” she wrote on his website. “One thing we both knew and experienced, through every difficult moment, was the feeling of being buoyed up by all the people in our lives,” she continued, noting they felt “surrounded by love.”

Jane thanked Jimmy’s fans, who she described as a “big, boisterous family.” “The smile that Jimmy beamed at you from the stage was sparked by your spirit, she wrote. “He was so grateful to the community you built around him.”

Jane also thanked all the people who cared for Jimmy during his battle with Merkel cell skin cancer as well as their friends and all those who worked for the rocker.

“Jimmy was love. Every cell in his body was filled with joy. He smiled all the time, even when he was deeply ill,” she wrote. “And his sense of humor never wavered. Jimmy was always the optimist, always twinkling, always making us laugh.”

After quoting his new song “Bubbles Up,” she concluded, “Jimmy knew he was loved. Right until the end, he looked for the light. Thank you for giving joy to him and to me.”

Meanwhile, fans are showing their love for Jimmy by rediscovering his music. Billboard reports that Songs You Know by Heart: Jimmy Buffett’s Greatest Hit(s) is back on the Billboard 200 at #4, a new high for the record. It’s also the first time the album’s made not only the Top 10, but the Top 40.

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Bernie Taupin‘s memoir, Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton and Me, an inside look at his life and career as the co-writer of Elton John‘s biggest hits, is out September 12. It features plenty of rock ‘n’ roll behavior and celebrity encounters, with everyone from John Lennon and Freddie Mercury to Princess Margaret, but what’s really amazing is that Elton didn’t know some of the details Bernie reveals in the book.

“He genuinely loved the book. I was so flattered by his compliments on it,” Bernie tells ABC Audio. “But the first thing he said to me when he called me after he finished the book, he went, ‘I can’t believe all of this. I mean, I didn’t know you did this. I didn’t know you did that.'”

“That’s a fan fantasy that we’ve lived in [each other’s] hip pockets for the last 55 years, ’cause it’s not true,” Bernie adds.

While the book isn’t in chronological order — hence the title Scattershot — it does cover all the major moments in Bernie and Elton’s career. It just does it from Bernie’s point of view.

“There are things in our collective lives that are bigger than life itself … they’re huge bullet points in our careers. You have to address them,” he says.

As for a new Elton album, Bernie says it’s being discussed.

“I’m sure somewhere in the not too distant future we’re going to be getting in the studio and doing something,” says Bernie. “We just have to figure out what we want to do.”

What he does know is that Elton really isn’t going to tour anymore.

“Believe me,” Bernie says. “He’s never going to be singing ‘Crocodile Rock’ … again.”

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The Rolling Stones just announced their new album, Hackney Diamonds, is coming out October 20, and there’s no doubt fans are excited. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will be touring to support the record, and it sounds like those fans won’t be disappointed.

When asked by ABC News whether they’re planning a new tour, Ronnie Wood confirmed it will be happening. “Oh, America we have penciled in for next year,” he shared. “And we really hope we can finish off what we started last time.” 

Ronnie says it’s frustrating they have to wait a month for the album to come out, though he’s sure fans will love it.

“It’s a really rewarding thing for me to hear the tracks and it’s a heartwarming feeling,” he says.

Frontman Mick Jagger echoes that sentiment, sharing that they’re “really pleased with the record.”

“It’s got a lot of styles. It’s very eclectic,” he says, calling it rock based but not a classic rock album.

And if fans weren’t excited enough by Hackney Diamonds, they’ll be happy to know it won’t be the last new music we hear from The Stones. Jagger revealed, “We cut a lot of songs, so we got almost like two-thirds of the next album as well. … We got a good jump in on that one.” 

Hackney Diamonds, The Stones’ first album of new songs in 18 years, is available for preorder now.

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Pearl Jam was forced to postpone their concert scheduled for Sunday, September 10 in Noblesville, Indiana, just outside Indianapolis, due to illness.

“The band is deeply sorry and thinking of those who travel to shows, as well as the great crowd in Indy,” read a statement on their website, which did not identify who in the band was sick.  

“It’s obviously serious, and we wish there was another way around it,” the added. “Again we apologize, and thanks so much for your understanding. It’s not easy…“ 

Pearl Jam says the show will be rescheduled “for a future date,” and those who can’t make it will be refunded.

The Seattle rockers’ next shows are scheduled for September 13 and 15 in Ft. Worth, Texas, and as of now, they are scheduled to go on as planned. The tour wraps September 18 and 19 in Austin, Texas.

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Whitesnake is sharing another preview of their upcoming reissue of 2015’s The Purple Album, celebrating the 50th anniversary of frontman David Coverdale’s three years in the band Deep Purple.

The band’s just released “Lay Down, Stay Down (2023 Remix),” the second song they’ve shared from the record, following a live recording of the 1974 track “Burn.”

“‘Lay Down, Stay Down’ was one of the first songs I wrote with Ritchie Blackmore at his house in Camberley, Surrey,” Coverdale shares. “It’s a lyric about dealing with bullies … an aspect of the human condition I despise.”

He added, “I can’t tell you the original ‘working’ title I had, as it’s quite disgusting … It’s about fighting back & not taking any s*** from anybody.”

You can listen to “Lay Down, Stay Down (2023 Remix)” now via digital outlets and watch its new video streaming on YouTube.

The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition will be released October 13 as a two-CD/Blu-ray set, which includes concert videos from The Purple Tour, official music videos and more, including commentary from Coverdale. It’s also being released on two-LP gold vinyl.

All formats are available for preorder now.

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Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir is featured on Stephen Marley’s new track, “Winding Roads.” It also features Jack Johnson and Weir’s backing band, Wolf Brothers, made up of Don Was, and Dead & Company members Jeff Chimenti and Jay Lane.

The song will be featured on Marley’s new album, Old Soul, which drops Friday, September 15. It also features a guest appearance by Eric Clapton on Stephen’s acoustic cover of dad Bob Marley’s “I Shot The Sheriff,” which Clapton also covered in 1974 for his album 461 Ocean Boulevard.

Other guests on the album include Ziggy Marley, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Buju Banton and Slightly Stoopid.

Old Soul, Marley’s first full-length album since 2016, will be released digitally, on CD and as a limited-edition double vinyl; it’s available for preorder now.

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Steve Miller is sharing another track off J50: The Evolution of The Joker, his upcoming box set celebrating the 50th anniversary of his classic album The Joker. 

Miller has just released the tune “Mama Church (A Capella),” which is one of eight previously unreleased songs on the set. It’s a song he recorded in a hotel room on April 21, 1972.

You can listen to “Mama Church (A Capella)” via digital outlets and on YouTube.

J50:The Evolution of The Joker, dropping September 15, will feature not only the original album but 27 previously unreleased recordings, some of which were taken from Miller’s personal songwriting tapes, along with studio outtakes and more. There will also be six audio commentary tracks, with Miller taking fans through the “evolution” of the album.

J50: The Evolution of The Joker is available for preorder now. 

Meanwhile, the Steve Miller Band is set to kick off the next leg of their North American tour on Saturday, September 9, in Nampa, Idaho. A complete list of dates can be found at stevemillerband.com.

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Ringo Starr wants to help folks celebrate their special day. The Beatles legend is on a new song, “Happy Birthday Beautiful,” written by award-winning songwriter Diane Warren and featuring vocals by Pentatonix.

Ringo plays drums on the track, which will be featured on a new American Greetings collection of birthday e-cards. The cards will be available starting Saturday, September 9, and includes options for people turning a year older that day; according to 20 years of real birth data, September 9 is the day more people are born than any other day of the year.

“I wanted to write a song that breathed new life into the classic birthday songs we know and love,” says Warren, who celebrated her 67th birthday on September 7. “Collaborating with such talented artists as Ringo Starr and Pentatonix, as well as the designers at American Greetings, allowed us to blend musical and design elements together to add new excitement to birthday celebrations.”

Ringo adds, “I was happy to play drums on this song when my friend Diane asked, and I think it’s great it is coming out around the time of her birthday – Happy Birthday beautiful! Peace and love, Ringo.”

You can now listen to “Happy Birthday Beautiful” via digital outlets and on YouTube. The e-cards will be available on americangreetings.com and bluemountain.com.

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Jimmy Buffett may be gone, but his music lives on, and he’s helping fans “keep the party going,” which is exactly what he wanted them to do.  Buffett passed away on September 1, but a new album, Equal Strain on All Parts, will be released November 3, and now, fans are getting their first preview of the record. 

Three tracks from the album have just been released: “Like My Dog,” “My Gummie Just Kicked In” and “Bubbles Up,” which already has a fan in Paul McCartney.

In the legendary Beatle‘s tribute to Buffett following his death, McCartney wrote that he “loved” Bubbles Up,” noting, “I told him that not only was the song great but the vocal was probably the best I’ve heard him sing ever.”

McCartney shared in the post that he plays bass on “My Gummie Just Kicked In,” which was inspired by his wife, Nancy Shevell, who was a bit unsteady on her feet when she entered a dinner party, prompting Buffett to ask if she was okay. She responded, “Oh, no — I’m fine. My gummie just kicked in!”

In addition to McCartney, the album features a host of other special guests, including Emmylou Harris, Angélique Kidjo, the Preservation Hall Jazz band and more.

Here is the track list for Equal Strain on All Parts. It is now available for preorder.

“University of Bourbon Street” (feat. Preservation Hall Jazz Band)
“Bubbles Up”
“Audience of One”
“My Gummie Just Kicked In”
“Close Calls”
“Equal Strain On All Parts”
“Like My Dog”
“Ti Punch Café” (feat. Angelique Kidjo)
“Portugul or PEI” (feat. Lennie Gallant, Will Kimbrough)
“Nobody Works On Friday”
“Fish Porn”
“Johnny’s Rhum”
“Columbus”
“Mozambique” (feat. Emmylou Harris)

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Eagles kicked off their The Long Goodbye final tour at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Thursday, September 7, and they took a moment out of their show to pay tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett, who passed away September 1 at the age of 76.

As seen in fan-shot footage posted to YouTube, Don Henley told the crowd, “Last weekend we lost a deer friend and the world lost a musical icon. Our dear friend Jimmy Buffett is now sailing on that cosmic ocean having that cheeseburger with Glenn and Randy,” referring to the late Eagles members Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner.

He added, “We always laughed and said we survived the ’70s together and the ’80s were pretty rough too, come to think of it.” 

Henley called Buffett “one of the hardest working men I ever saw,” but noted, “he made work look like play and he brought joy to everything he did, including the work.”

Finally, he shared, “One of his final wishes was that we keep the party going … responsibly.”

The band then dedicated their next two songs to Buffett. The “Margaritaville” singer’s classic “Come Monday” was sung by Timothy B. Schmit, who was once a member of Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, while Joe Walsh, who was wearing a parrot hat on his head, sung “Fins” and joked, “Jimmy and I got thrown out of some of the finest hotels in the world.” 

Eagles’ The Long Goodbye tour returns to Madison Square Garden on Friday, September 8. A complete list of dates can be found at eagles.com.

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