Classic Rock News

Tributes to The Band’s guitarist and main songwriter Robbie Robertson have poured in following the news of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s passing Wednesday, August 9, at the age of 80. 

Neil Diamond, whose 1976 album Beautiful Noise was produced by Robertson, shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, “The music world lost a great one with the passing of Robbie Robertson,” adding, “Keep making that Beautiful Noise in the sky, Robbie. I’ll miss you.”

Diamond appeared in The Band’s iconic documentary The Last Waltz, as did The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood, who shared, “Such sad news about Robbie Robertson – he was a lovely man, a great friend and will be dearly missed.”

And former President Bill Clinton remembered Robertson as “a brilliant songwriter, guitarist, and composer whose gifts changed music forever.” He added, “I’m grateful for all the good memories he gave me—going back to his time in the Hawks when I was a teenager—and for his kindness through the years. I’ll miss him.”

Among the other tributes:

Joni Mitchell – “Rest in peace Robbie Robertson, legendary lead guitarist of The Band, fellow Canadian, and cherished collaborator of Joni’s. May his legacy and musical harmony resonate for generations to come.” 

E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt called Robertson “a good friend and a genius,” adding, “The Band’s music shocked the excess out of the Renaissance and were an essential part of the final back-to-the-roots trend of ‘60s. He was an underrated brilliant guitar player adding greatly to Bob Dylan’s best tour & best album.”

Stephen Stills – “Always kind and generous. Rest in peace, Robbie Robertson.”

Bryan Adams – “RIP Robbie Robertson. Thanks for the amazing music and the great hangs, especially photographing you in LA not so long ago. We’ll keep Anna Lee company for you…”

Rod Stewart – “So sad to hear of dear Robbie Robinson (sic) passing. I’ll be dedicating #brokenarrow to this legendary guitarist at my show in Vancouver on Friday.”

Jason Isbell – “My heart breaks for the family of @r0bbier0berts0n, and I think it’s safe to say that without his influence the music we love and the music we make would be very different from what it is.”

Kiefer Sutherland – “The loss of Robbie Robertson is heartbreaking. Canada has lost an icon, and music has lost a poet and a scholar.”

Kings of Leon’s Nathan Followiill – “RIP Robbie Robertson. The Band will forever be one of my biggest influences.”

Rob Reiner – “So sorry to hear about Robbie Robertson’s passing. His music felt timeless when he wrote it and remains timeless. Thoughts and love to his family.”

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Director Martin Scorsese is paying tribute to his friend and longtime collaborator, The Band‘s Robbie Robertson, who passed away Wednesday, August 9, at the age of 80.

In a statement, Scorsese called the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer “one of my closest friends, a constant in my life and my work.”

The pair collaborated 14 times. Not only did Scorsese direct The Band’s iconic documentary, 1978’s The Last Waltz, but Robertson wrote the music for many of Scorsese’s films, including 1980’s Raging Bull and his upcoming release Killers of the Flower Moon, which is due out in October.

“I could always go to him as a confidante. A collaborator. An advisor. I tried to be the same for him,” Scorsese continued. “Long before we ever met, his music played a central role in my life—me and millions and millions of other people all over this world. The Band’s music, and Robbie’s own later solo music, seemed to come from the deepest place at the heart of this continent, its traditions and tragedies and joys.”

He adds, “It goes without saying that he was a giant, that his effect on the art form was profound and lasting. There’s never enough time with anyone you love. And I loved Robbie.”

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Robbie Robertson, best known as the guitarist and main songwriter for Rock & Roll Hall of Famers The Band, has died after a long illness, his publicist has confirmed to The Associated Press. He was 80.

Variety reports that a statement from Robertson’s manager reads, “Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife, Janet, his ex-wife, Dominique, her partner Nicholas, and his children Alexandra, Sebastian, Delphine, and Delphine’s partner Kenny,” as well as his five grandchildren. No cause of death was given. 

The statement notes that Robertson had recently finished working with his longtime friend and collaborator Martin Scorsese on music for Scorsese’s film Killers of the Flower Moon.

In lieu of flowers, the statement requests that donations be made to the Six Nations of the Grand River to build their new cultural center; Robertson’s mother, Rosemarie Dolly Chrysler, was Mohawk, one of the Six Nations. His biological father, Alexander Klegerman, died in a car accident before he was born. Robertson’s First Nation heritage later inspired much of his solo work.

Robertson, born in Toronto, was a member of rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins‘ backup band, The Hawks, along with Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson. After leaving Hawkins, the musicians toured as Bob Dylan‘s backup band and recorded the legendary “basement tapes” with him in 1967.

As The Band, they released their debut album, Music from Big Pink, in 1968. Their rootsy sound influenced everyone from Elton John and Eric Clapton to The Beatles. As The Band’s guitarist and primary songwriter, Robertson wrote such classics as “The Weight,” “Up On Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”

The Band split in 1976 amid personal conflicts and substance abuse issues; they said goodbye at a star-studded farewell concert documented in the Scorsese-directed film The Last Waltz. Robertson went on to work with Scorsese on music for movies including Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Casino, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Irishman, and on other TV and movie soundtracks. He also worked as an A&R rep at DreamWorks, helping to sign Nelly Furtado, among other acts. 

Robertson released six solo albums; his self-titled 1987 debut featured contributions from U2‘s Bono and Peter Gabriel, and included the rock hit “Somewhere Down the Crazy River.” Robertson and The Band were inducted into the Juno Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. 

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New bronze sculptures celebrating The Rolling Stones‘ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have been unveiled in their hometown of Dartford, Kent, England, The Guardian reports.

The statues, which are being called The Glimmer Twins, were unveiled Wednesday, August 9, at One Bell Corner, which is close to the town center. Richards’ daughter Angela and granddaughter Ava were on hand. 

The Glimmer Twins are the creation of sculptor Amy Goodman, who captured the rockers midperformance: Richards playing his guitar and Mick strutting with a microphone in his hand. “I was a nervous wreck,” she said about the project. “There was a lot of pressure because they are such icons.”

“Many Dartfordians have gone on to change our world, but in terms of culture and music you don’t get much more influential than The Rolling Stones,” Jeremy Kite, leader of the Dartford Borough Council, previously said about the pair. “Their music has changed the face of popular music and these lads from Dartford are now two of the most recognizable and loved people in the world.”

Jagger and Richards, who were childhood friends, reunited as teenagers in 1961 at the Dartford Railway Station. It was then that they started talking about music and decided to form a musical partnership that eventually became The Rolling Stones.

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Night Ranger is giving fans a taste of their live show with the new live album 40 Years and a Night with Contemporary Youth Orchestra, dropping October 20.

The album captures the band’s November 9, 2022, performance at Key Bank State Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio. As the title suggests, they were backed by the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, which is made up of musicians ages 12 to 18 from over 40 schools in the state. 

“It was a dream come true to have Night Ranger music accompanied by an entire symphonic band… including our own!” Jack Blades shares. “Although now, we’re spoiled, and we want to carry the orchestra with us everywhere we go!!”

Brad Gillis adds, “I can check this one off my bucket list. Having the CYO backing us for this show was just amazing and it really took Night Ranger to another level.”

And Night Ranger is giving fans a preview of the record with the release of a video performance of their track “(You Can Still) Rock in America.”

40 Years and a Night with Contemporary Youth Orchestra will be released on CD, vinyl, DVD, Blu-ray and digitally. It is available for preorder now.

Here is the track list for 40 Years and a Night with Contemporary Youth Orchestra:

“Intro”
“(You Can Still) Rock In America”
“Four In The Morning”
“Sing Me Away”
“Call My Name”
“Sentimental Street”
“High Road”
“Night Ranger”
“Goodbye”
“When You Close Your Eyes”
“Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”
“Sister Christian”
“High Enough” (Bonus Track – Japan)

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Alice Cooper has premiered a new song called “Welcome to the Show,” a track off his upcoming album, Road.

The track finds the shock rocker performing a dramatic retelling of the moment before he takes the stage each night. You can listen to it now via digital outlets.

Road will be released August 25. It also includes the the songs “I’m Alice” and “White Line Frankenstein.”

Cooper is currently out tour playing headlining dates and shows with Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard. Later in August, he’ll link up with Rob Zombie for the Freaks on Parade tour.

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Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx reveals in a new interview that the band was just as surprised as anyone when their guitarist and cofounder Mick Mars left while they were still touring with Def Leppard.

“We never saw it coming that Mick wasn’t going to be able to tour and was going to have to quit the band,” Sixx told Guitar World of Mars departure due to health issues. “In the middle – not even the middle – of a huge tour, we had to ask ourselves, ‘Do we want to let the fans down?…Do we want to let Def Leppard down? Do we want to let ourselves down because an original member of our band can’t tour anymore?’ We had to have a deep, deep look into what we were going to do.” 

In the end, they hired former Rob Zombie guitarist John 5, who they had a previous relationship with, calling the decision “a no brainer in a horrible situation.” 

Sixx says bringing John aboard “was just kind of obvious.” “If there was ‘the guy,’ John was the guy,” he said. “Like I said, we didn’t choose this, but since we had to be put in this position, we’re very happy with where we’re at right now.”

Of course, the drama didn’t exactly end there. Mars sued Mötley Crüe over a financial disagreement and suggested they’d been pushing him out for years. He also accused them of playing to backing tracks at shows, a claim the members of Motley Crüe have denied.

Well, fans still have plenty of chances to judge for themselves. Mötley Crüe’s tour with Def Leppard is currently in North America, hitting Fargo, North Dakota, on August 11. A complete list of dates can be found at motley.com.

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August 8, 1983, brought a surprise for Billy Joel fans: a brand-new album, which came less than a year after his previous release, 1982’s The Nylon Curtain.

An Innocent Man was a tribute to the music that Billy had loved as a teenager, like Motown, R&B, doo wop and The Four Seasons. He said that inspiration came from the fact that he was newly divorced and single for the first time since he became a rock star. Having the opportunity to date supermodels like Elle Macpherson and Christie Brinkley, he explained, made him feel “like a teenager all over again.”

“When you’re gonna write [songs for a new album], you write what you’re feeling. And I didn’t fight it,” he added. “The material was coming so easily and so quickly, and I was having so much fun doing it. I was kind of reliving my youth…. I think within 6 weeks I had written most of the material on the album.”

Billy also said he was pleasantly surprised when retro-sounding songs like “The Longest Time” and “Uptown Girl” became hits. In fact, the first single from the album, “Tell Her About It,” became his second #1 single.

In addition to those three songs, the album also spun off two other hits — “Leave a Tender Moment Alone” and ‘Keeping The Faith” — and has sold more than seven million copies in the U.S. alone. It also earned him two Grammy nominations, including a nod for Album of the Year. It was the second year in a row he’d been nominated in that category.

After the one-two punch of The Nylon Curtain and An Innocent Man, Billy fans waited three more years for his next album of original music: 1986’s The Bridge.

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Guns N’ Roses just launched their North American tour, and there’s apparently even more in the works from the “Welcome to the Jungle” rockers.

A press release recapping the first show of the tour, which took place August 5 in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, teases that you should “stay tuned to Guns N’ Roses socials for more news coming soon.”

Notably, there have been recent rumors that a previously unreleased GN’R song called “Perhaps,” which they previously rehearsed during a soundcheck for a June show, is set premiere sometime soon. According to NME, a link to a presave page was briefly active before disappearing. However, nothing has been officially announced.

Guns N’ Roses shared two previously unreleased songs, “Hard Skool” and “Absurd,” in 2021. Both tracks dated back to the sessions for GN’R’s infamous Chinese Democracy album.

The group’s tour continues Friday, August 11, in Hersey, Pennsylvania, and is currently scheduled into October. Openers on the outing include Alice in Chains, Pretenders, Dirty Honey, The Warning and country star/noted GN’R fan Carrie Underwood.

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Van Halen is revisiting the Sammy Hagar years with a new box set.

The Collection II, dropping October 6, will feature newly remastered versions of the band’s four #1 albums with Hagar – 1986’s 5150, 1988’s OU812, 1991’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and 1995’s Balance.

It will also include a fifth album, Studio Rarities 1989-2004, featuring eight non-album Hagar-era tracks, including “Crossing Over,” the B-side to the Balance tune “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You,” and their two songs from the Twister soundtrack: “Humans Being” and “Respect The Wind.”

You listen to the newly remastered version of “Humans Being” now via digital outlets and watch the accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.

“This stuff sounds so good,” Sammy shared on social media about the remastered set. “You know how long we’ve been waiting for this. I know you’re gonna enjoy it.” 

The Collection II is the follow-up to Van Halen’s first box set, The Collection, which was released in 2015 and featured the band’s six studio albums with David Lee Roth. It  will be released as a five-LP or five-CD set, both of which are available for preorder now.

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