Classic Rock News

Two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer David Crosby passed away Thursday, according to a statement issued by his wife to Variety. He was 81.

“It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away,” read the statement. “Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music.” It continues, “Peace, love, and harmony to all who knew David and those he touched. We will miss him dearly. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask for privacy as we grieve and try to deal with our profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers.”

Born in Los Angeles in 1941, Crosby launched his career as a member of the Byrds, joining the band in 1964 and appearing on their first five albums. In 1968, along with Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield and Graham Nash of the Hollies, he formed Crosby, Stills & Nash, which released their self-titled debut in 1969. The group went on to win the Grammy for Best New Artist that year. They were later joined by Neil Young and performed their second-ever gig together at Woodstock. Their first album as a foursome, 1970’s Déjà Vu, went to number one. 

In addition, Crosby & Nash released four albums together and Crosby had a prolific solo career, releasing his first solo album, If I Could Remember My Name, in 1971. In 1996 he also formed the group CPR, aka Crosby, Pevar & Raymond, with guitarist Jeff Pevar and pianist James Raymond. Raymond was his son, whom he gave up for adoption in 1962 and reunited with as an adult.

As a songwriter, Crosby wrote or co-wrote such songs as CSN’s “Wooden Ships,” “Guinevere” and “Longtime Gone,” as well as CSNY’s “Almost Cut My Hair” and “Déjà Vu.” He also wrote the Byrds tracks “Lady Friend” and “Everybody’s Been Burned.” 

Crosby, a longtime outspoken political activist, was a 10-time Grammy nominee with one win. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 with the Byrds and in 1997 with CSN. A documentary about his life, David Crosby: Remember My Name, produced by Cameron Crowe, was released in 2019. 

The rocker had a history of drug and health problems over the years, although he was also a longtime advocate for cannabis and even launched his own cannabis brand, Mighty Croz. In 1994 he received a liver transplant following a long battle with hepatitis C, although it caused some controversy because people questioned how someone with a known history of drug and alcohol problems was able to get a new kidney. In 2022, he revealed that he suffered from tendonitis that was preventing him from playing guitar. 

Crosby was the father of four children: Raymond with Celia Crawford Ferguson; daughter Erika with Jackie Guthrie; daughter Donovan with former girlfriend Debbie Donovan; and son Django with wife Jan Dance. In addition, Melissa Etheridge revealed in 2000 that Crosby was the sperm donor for the two children she had with ex-partner Julie Cypher: son Beckett, who died of an overdose in 2020, and daughter Bailey.

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Michael McDonald is one of the many artists booked to help celebrate Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson as they are honored as the Recording Academy’s MusiCares Persons of the Year.

McDonald is part of an all-star lineup that also includes Lionel Richie, Sheryl Crow, Dionne Warwick, The Temptations, Isley Brothers and the Four Tops, along with John Legend, Brandi Carlile, Mumford & Sons and Trombone Shorty. 

The 32nd annual MusiCares Persons of the Year benefit gala is set for February 3, two days before the Grammy Awards, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Proceeds from the gala, which also includes a silent auction, will finance essential support for MusiCares, which provides music professionals with health and human services across a spectrum of needs.

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The Eagles are extending their time on the road. The band just added another date to their Hotel California tour.

The latest show is set to take place April 8 in Baltimore, Maryland, with tickets going on sale January 27 at 10 a.m. ET. 

The Hotel California tour, which the Eagles launched in 2019, has the band playing their classic 1976 album in its entirety, backed by an orchestra and choir. In addition to the album, the band, which currently consists of Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, with Vince Gill, also treats fans to a set of greatest hits.

The 2023 leg is set to kick off February 17 in Lincoln, California. Eagles.com has the complete list of tour dates.

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Fans have been given a peek inside the memorial service held earlier this month in honor of the late Fleetwood Mac star Christine McVie. A photo shared on her Instagram page shows a piano covered in flowers, along with two photos of Christine and an arrangement of candles.

“One week ago today we celebrated Christine’s extraordinary life in an intimate gathering just above the ocean waves in one of her favorite places – Malibu,” reads the post. “We honored our beautiful Songbird by sharing stories and toasting her legacy that will continue to inspire … She is missed beyond words and will remain in our hearts forever.”

McVie passed away November 30 at the age of 79. Her celebration of life took place at Little Beach House in Malibu, with her Fleetwood Mac bandmates Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks, as well as former bandmate Lindsey Buckingham, in attendance. Mick recently posted the eulogy he gave at the service, sharing a poem he wrote the day after he found out she had passed away.

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Queen is set to launch the second season of their YouTube series Queen The Greatest Live on Friday.

The new season, which debuts at 7:00 a.m. ET, will feature 50 videos and will once again include archival and contemporary footage of live performances, along with behind-the-scenes interviews, with visuals crated by longtime multimedia collaborator Simon Lupton. 

Episode one, titled “Rehearsals – Part 1,” will feature interviews with Brian May and Roger Taylor as they share their rehearsal secrets with fans, sharing footage from both past and present tours.

“Rehearsing before tour is always a bit of a surprise because you don’t know how much you’re going to remember, and you don’t know if it’s still going to feel the same,” May shares in the episode. “But it’s surprising how stuff does flow back into you, into your veins, once you start kicking stuff around.”

Taylor adds of the rehearsal process, “Normally we play a song through and see if we think it’s going to work live. They don’t always work live. So there’s quite a few songs we’ve never played live that have been on albums and probably for good reason.”

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Kate Bush made a lot of new fans last year thanks to Stranger Things, and if they want to learn more about her songs, now’s their chance.

The singer is set to release the paperback version of How To Be Invisible: Selected Lyrics, which was released in hardcover in 2018. The new version, dropping May 9, will come with a new introduction courtesy of Bush, along with a new cover design by Jim Kay. You can preorder the book now.

The release will include a limited number of signed copies, available at bookstores and record stores. And some fans who purchase those signed copies are in for a surprise. In a small number of them Bush has included a written message using invisible ink, which can only be revealed under ultraviolet light.

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This year marks the 50 anniversary of Pink Floyd’s iconic album The Dark Side of the Moon, and they are celebrating the occasion with a new box set, and a whole lot more.

The Dark Side of the Moon deluxe box set will be released March 24 on CD and gatefold vinyl, and will include a newly remastered version of the album, as well as Blu-Ray and DVD audio with the original mix and remastered stereo versions. There will also be a new Blu-Ray disc and CD of the classic concert “‘The Dark Side of the Moon — Live at Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974.” You can pre-order the box set now.

Also on March 24, the Wembley concert will be issued on its own for first time, both on CD and, for the first time, on vinyl. And, as previously reported, there will also be a new book, Pink Floyd — The Dark Side of the Moon: 50th Anniversary, featuring rare and previously unseen photos taken during the Dark Side of the Moon tour, which ran from 1972 to 1975.  The book will also be included in the box set.

The band is also marking anniversary with a new competition, asking fans to create animated music videos for any of the songs on the album. Entries are due by November 30 and animators can enter up to 10 videos, although only one per song. The winner will be selected by a panel of experts, which includes Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason. PinkFloyd.com has more info.

But that’s not all. In March, a new The Dark Side of the Moon planetarium exhibit is set to launch at planetariums around the world, featuring 42 minutes of the album accompanied by visuals of the solar system.

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When Bon Jovi released “Livin’ on a Prayer” back in 1986, the idea of digital music platforms didn’t exist, but the hit single has since gone on to become one of the most-streamed songs from the ’80s.  And on Instagram Wednesday, Jon Bon Jovi celebrated its official Spotify certification for one billion streams.

While opening up a large box containing his new Spotify award — which looks like a shiny metal bowl attached to a plaque — an amused Jon says, “Streaming is the new ‘it,’ right? This is unbelievable, and I’m really grateful for it.”

After reading the words on the plaque — “one billion streams for ‘Livin’ on a Prayer'” — Jon pronounces the honor to be “pretty cool,” and, addressing the fans, says, “Thank you, you guys!”

“Livin’ on a Prayer” is Bon Jovi’s signature song: It was their second number-one hit, and has been certified three-times RIAA Platinum for sales of three million units. It has 996 million views on YouTube.

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The Rolling Stones have taken the next step on social media – they’ve joined TikTok. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers posted their first videos Thursday, sharing a trio of classic clips featuring songs like “Start Me Up,” “Angie” and “It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It).”

Stones fans on TikTok can now access the band’s full catalog on the platform, and will be able to create covers and remixes using tunes available on the TikTok Sounds Page. There will also be a new guest playlist on TikTok curated by the band, including 44 classic Stones tracks. 

With the “Start Me Up” clip, the band urged fans to “move like the Stones” and share their creations. The “Angie” clip had them asking fans to share “covers, remixes, guitar solos, mashups…,” and for “It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll,” the Stones urged fans to dress like them, with the band promising to share their favorite creations on their page. 

TikTok has launched the official hashtag, #TheRollingStones, to celebrate the band joining the site and make it easier for fans to share their creations.

And that’s not all. Stones frontman Mick Jagger is also planning to launch his own TikTok page, making him the second member of the band on the site after Keith Richards, who joined last year.

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In a new interview with Goldmine magazine, KISS’ Gene Simmons is revealing the 10 albums that changed his life. And folks may be a bit surprised by some of the records that made the list.

“As a preamble, when I first came to America (from Israel) as an eight-and-a-half-year-old boy, this was pre-Beatles. I came to America with my mother in 1958, and I had never heard of rock and roll, and I actually had never seen a television set,” he tells the mag. “The first music I heard in America was Chuck Berry and Little Richard and all that.”

Albums on Gene’s list include greatest hits albums by Ray Charles, Dave Clark Five, Patsy Cline, James Brown and ABBA; 1968’s The Beatles aka The White Album; Jeff Beck Group‘s Truth/Beck-Ola; Led Zeppelin’s 1969 self-titled debut; and The Who’s Tommy.

Of course one of his band’s albums had to make the list, as well, with Gene picking KISS’ 1979 release, Destroyer, noting, “Some of those songs have survived the test of time. It was a strange period. It was the beginning of the end, really. The band started to fall to pieces way back in ’76.”

As for people who may be surprised that ABBA’s Greatest Hits made the list, Gene notes that what he loves “is the ability to craft songs that are forever.” He adds, “So if I’m riding in my car and ABBA music comes on, I turn it up and that’s the sign of greatness. Undeniable songwriting. You just can’t touch it.”

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