Classic Rock News

Jim Morrison, the iconic lead singer of The Doors, died 50 years ago this Saturday, July 3, 1971, at age 27.

Morrison died unexpectedly during an extended stay in Paris while on hiatus from The Doors. He was found dead by his longtime girlfriend, Pamela Courson, in the bathtub of their rented apartment. His official cause of death was listed as heart failure, but the actual cause remains a mystery, since no autopsy was performed.

The late Doors frontman’s influence on music and popular culture has been immeasurable, thanks to his charismatic persona, his powerful vocal style, his exploration of dark themes and his talent for combining poetry with rock music.

Morrison had a fascination with pushing social boundaries that, unfortunately, coincided with a penchant for excess that included a serious alcohol dependency.

Doors drummer John Densmore recalls that he heard that Morrison had died while he was jamming with band mates Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger.

“[Jim] had been away for a few months and we wanted to make music and we were jamming on stuff, hoping he’d be back to help us,” Densmore tells ABC Audio. “And then, the manager came downstairs and said Jim had passed.”

John says that when Morrison was in Paris, he worried about the singer knowing his issues with alcohol.

“I was hoping he wasn’t drinking, but, you know, the Parisians have wine for breakfast,” Densmore notes. “[Paris] might not have been such a good place for him.”

As tragic as Morrison’s young death was, Densmore says he’s grateful for what he and the band created together.

“[I]t became bigger than its ingredients that came together in a garage in Venice [Beach, California,]” John notes. “And we gotta honor that muse and be thankful that something came in [that was] magic.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Foreigner‘s hit-packed fourth studio album, the aptly titled 4.

The album featured such enduring tunes as “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Urgent” and “Juke Box Hero,” which peaked at #2, #4 and #26, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100.

Propelled by those hits and a fourth top-40 single, “Break It Up,” 4 became Foreigner’s only album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200, spending 10 non-consecutive weeks atop the chart from August 1981 to January 1982. 4 has sold over 6 million copies in the U.S.

Interestingly, “Waiting for a Girl Like You” set a Billboard record by spending 10 weeks at #2 on the Hot 100 tally without ever reaching the top. It was blocked from #1 by Olivia Newton-John‘s “Physical” and Hall & Oates‘ “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do).”

The title 4 also was a reference to the fact that Foreigner had become a quartet after the exit of founding multi-intrumentalist Ian McDonald and keyboardist Al Greenwood in 1980.

Founding guitarist and main songwriter Mick Jones co-produced the album with “Mutt” Lange, then famous for producing AC/DC‘s Back in Black and soon to become more famous for his work with Def Leppard.

4 was the first Foreigner album to make significant use of session musicians. Thomas Dolby, who had a big hit of his own in 1982 with “She Blinded Me with Science,” played synthesizers, while Motown sax legend Junior Walker contributed a memorable solo to “Urgent.”

Singer Lou Gramm told ABC Audio that while “Waiting for a Girl Like You” may be the tune that fans remember most from 4, he considers “Juke Box Hero” to be “the quintessential Foreigner song.”

Here’s 4‘s full track list:

“Night Life”
“Juke Box Hero”
“Break It Up”
“Waiting for a Girl Like You”
“Luanne”
“Urgent”
“I’m Gonna Win”
“Woman in Black”
“Girl on the Moon”
“Don’t Let Go”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jerry Cantrell is teaming up with his old buddy Duff McKagan for a new video.

Earlier this week, photos leaked of the Alice in Chains vocalist/guitarist at a shoot with the Guns N’ Roses bassist. Cantrell then confirmed the news himself in an Instagram post.

“Here’s a couple better pics than the ones leaked yesterday,” Cantrell wrote, referring to the grainy quality of the unofficial images. “May be time to upgrade that phone? Just sayin.”

The photos features Cantrell on stage with McKagan, as well as The Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato and former Marilyn Manson drummer Gil Sharone.

Earlier this year, Cantrell announced that he had finished a new solo album, his first since 2002’s Degradation Trip.

Cantrell and McKagan, by the way, go way back, having both come from the Seattle music scene. They’ve collaborated numerous times, including on a joint cover of the song “A Satisfied Mind” released last fall to celebrate former President Jimmy Carter‘s 96th birthday.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Jerry Cantrell (@jerrycantrell)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A bevy of veteran rock artists are part of the lineup of CNN’s The Fourth in America special, which will air on the cable network on Independence Day from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. ET.

The Beach Boys, Chicago, Sammy Hagar & The Circle, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon and Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs are among the many performers that appear on the show, which will also will feature live footage of fireworks displays in cities across the U.S.

The Beach Boys will be joined by their longtime honorary member, actor John Stamos.

Meanwhile, Hagar tells ABC Audio that his performance with The Circle was filmed during a series of recent concerts that he and the band played in Florida, which were some of their first shows since the start of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“Woo, it was awesome,” Sammy gushes about the gig. “[CNN] filmed a lot of our songs. And we were really having a good night…I felt so good about that night, ’cause the band was so up to play. It was about our fourth show, so we were getting our wings back, and the audiences [were] just nuts.”

Other artists who will perform on The Fourth in America include Kool & the Gang, Blues Traveler, Bebe Rexha, Billy Ray Cyrus, Black Eyed Peas, Brad Paisley, Trisha Yearwood and many more.

The special will stream live on CNN.com, and also will be viewable on Apple and Android mobile devices via CNN apps for those with a login to a cable provider. The program also can be viewed on CNNgo.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sammy Hagar‘s recently announced four-date Las Vegas residency taking place at The STRAT Theater on October 29-30 and November 5-6 is completely sold out, so the Red Rocker has lined up two additional shows at the venue, on November 12-13.

Tickets for the newly added concerts will go on sale to the general public this Saturday, July 3, at 10 a.m. PT via TheStrat.com. Members of Hagar’s fan club and The STRAT resort’s True Rewards program will be able to purchase pre-sale tickets beginning Friday, July 2, at 10 a.m. PT.

Hagar also has confirmed that more Vegas shows will be scheduled soon in 2022.

“Adding these shows so quickly makes me happier than anyone for the fans that didn’t get tickets the first time,” Sammy says. “This is exciting, we’re going to be doing this for a while.”

As previously reported, Hagar’s Las Vegas show, which has been dubbed Sammy Hagar & Friends, will feature the Red Rocker performing with a rotating cast of his musical pals, similar to the annual birthday bashes he’s known for throwing at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The first two concerts will feature Hagar playing with his current group The Circle, which also includes founding Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, acclaimed rock drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Vic Johnson of Sammy’s longtime backing band, The Wabos. Anthony and Johnson also are confirmed to perform with Hagar on November 5, 6, 12 and 13. Other special guests will be announced at a later date.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Metallica‘s “Sad but True” week continues with a new live video.

The unearthed clip captures the metal legends’ performance of the Black Album single at their August 1991 show in Denmark. That particular concert marked the opening date on the European Monsters of Rock tour, which also featured AC/DC, Mötley Crüe, Queensrÿche and The Black Crowes.

“It’s a very happy little number, so cheer up, huh?” a young James Hetfield tells the crowd.

You can watch the performance video streaming now on YouTube.

Earlier this week, Metallica premiered covers of “Sad but True” recorded by St. Vincent, country artist Jason Isbell and U.K. musician Sam Fender. Those will all appear on The Metallica Blacklist, an upcoming, 53-track tribute record celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Black Album.

Metallica also shared a demo of “Sad but True,” one of the many bonus tracks included on the forthcoming 30th anniversary deluxe Black Album reissue.

Both the Blacklist and the Black Album reissue will be released September 10.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Vicky Cornell is sharing a personal love letter written to her by her husband, late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell.

The handwritten note, which Vicky posted through the parenting site Fatherly, begins, “I write this with the quivering hand that is guided by the fortunes of a heart lucky enough to know true love.”

“My heart is a beating drum and my voice a clanging bell sounding to the world,” Chris continued. “I love you, be mine in joy lit only by the glow of our shining love!”

Vicky also spoke with Fatherly about how she and her children are continuing to cope with Chris’ 2017 death.

“Chris is constantly kept in the present,” she says. “We speak about him, we play his music, we share memories, we work in his legacy and I include my children in that.”

Last year, the Cornell estate released a covers album titled No One Sings Like You Anymore, which Chris had fully recorded and completed prior to his passing.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has confirmed the news reported Wednesday by Page Six, that Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Jennifer Hudson will be among the headliners of a huge concert held August 21 in the city’s Central Park to celebrate the post-COVID-19 reopening of the Big Apple.

Speaking about the event, apparently called the Central Park Homecoming Concert, at a press conference Thursday, de Blasio declared, “[I]t’s gonna be a great moment for the city marking our rebirth, marking our comeback, and it’s gonna be one of the greatest Central Park concerts in history.”

In revealing Springsteen’s participation in the show, the mayor noted, “He just did something amazing by bringing back his show on Broadway, and starting the Broadway rebirth. He is beloved in New York City in an extraordinary way, even though he happens to come from New Jersey — no one’s perfect — he is amazing, and I’ve loved his music from the first moment I heard it, and I know so many others have as well.”

Regarding Simon, de Blasio mentioned that the folk-rock legend played two previous historic concerts in Central Park, in 1981 — with Art Garfunkel —  and 1991.

De Blasio promised that a full lineup and a lot more details about the show will be announced soon, adding “get ready for a concert for the ages and a big part of the rebirth of New York City and the summer of New York City.”

As previously reported, the massive concert is being organized by famed music mogul Clive Davis.

4th of July in New York City is BACK! Join me at City Hall as we get ready for this weekend’s celebrations.

https://t.co/WTOv8IQzYL

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) July 1, 2021

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Former Yes frontman Jon Anderson will return to touring for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic started last year, with a brief U.S. summer trek featuring the students of the Paul Green Rock Academy.

The 11-date outing will visit venues in the Northeast and Midwest, starting July 30 in Patchogue, New York, and winding down August 28 with a show in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

The tour marks the relaunch of a tradition Anderson began in 2005, when he first hit the road with the young “all stars” of Green’s School of Rock.

The new tour will feature the 76-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer performing with a backing band made up of 25 young musicians from the Paul Green Rock Academy. The concerts will feature Yes classics and deep cuts, songs from Anderson’s solo catalog, mash-ups and more, with lush arrangements including choral vocals, horns and other musical elements.

“I sang and toured with the Paul Green School of Rock many years ago,” says Anderson. “It was a miracle for me to join in with their young energy…and learn from them…Now here we are with the Paul Green Rock Academy…And again, their excitement and joy for making music really makes it all worthwhile…Plus they are a really talented bunch.”

He adds, “There is a future in music, and these young souls prove it every time I hear them sing and play…I know you will have a wonderful evening spending time with the future of rock ‘n’ roll.”

Here are all of Anderson’s upcoming dates with the Paul Green Rock Academy:

7/30 — Patchogue, NY, Patchogue Theater
8/1 — Salisbury, MA, Blue Ocean Music Hall
8/3 — Annapolis, MD, Rams Head on Stage
8/5 — Ridgefield, CT, Ridgefield Playhouse
8/7 — Phoenixville, PA, Colonial Theatre
8/9 — Ocean City, NJ, Ocean City Music Pier
8/19 — Des Plaines, IL, Des Plaines Theatre
8/21 — St. Charles, IL, Arcada Theatre
8/24 — Canton, OH, Palace Theatre
8/27 — Huntington, NY, Paramount Theatre
8/28 — Woonsocket, RI, Stadium Theater

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Carlos Santana has curated a streaming compilation titled Splendiferous Santana that puts a spotlight on the music his famous band released during the last 20 years following the group’s massively successful 1999 album Supernatural.

ABC Audio exclusively reports that the playlist will premiere on Friday, July 2, and will be available via all major streaming platforms.

The Splendiferous playlist features songs from six different post-2000 Santana albums — nine tracks each from 2002’s Shaman and 2005’s All That I Am, three from 2007’s Ultimate Santana compilation, one from 2012’s Shapeshifter, six from the 2014 Spanish-language collection Corazón and two from 2019’s Africa Speaks.

“I always felt that [1970’s] Abraxas [album] and Supernatural got a lot of deep, hands-on hug[s], but…songs [from] these other albums not as much,” Carlos explains to ABC Audio. “So I wanted to gather them together and put ’em in a certain sequence, because when I listen to them…they give me courage, they give me joy, they give me hope, and they give me…[the] ingredients to have a delicious life.”

Carlos says he hopes that when people hear the playlist, they go, “This music makes me feel very grateful and happy to be alive.”

Among the songs Carlos chose are collaborations with an eclectic variety of singers and musicians, including Plácido Domingo, will.i.am, Macy Gray, Seal, Nickelback‘s Chad Kroeger, Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett, Tina Turner, Gloria Estefan and Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler.

Reflecting on getting to work with such a diverse array of artists, Santana says, “I’m very, very grateful…At this point, I [look] at myself like one of those Swiss [Army knives]…In other words, with clarity, I am not a one trick pony.”

Here is the full Splendiferous Santana playlist:

“Novus” (featuring Plácido Domingo) — Shaman (2002)
“Eres La Luz” — Shape Shifter (2012)
“Aye Aye Aye” — Shaman (2002)
“Con Santana” (featuring Ismaila, Touré Kunda) — All That I Am (2005)
“Adouma” — Shaman (2002)
“El Fuego” — All That I Am (2005)
“Hermes” — All That I Am (2005)
“I Am Somebody” (featuring will.i.am) — All That I Am (2005)
“Saideira” (featuring Samuel Rosa) — Corazón (Deluxe Version) (2014)
“Mal Bicho” (featuring Los Fabulosos Cadillacs) — Corazón (2014)
“Da Tu Amor” — All That I Am (2005)
“Amoré (Sexo)” (featuring Macy Gray) — Shaman (2002)
“You Are My Kind” (featuring Seal) — Shaman (2002)
“Into the Night” (featuring Chad Kroeger) — Ultimate Santana (2007)
“Cry Baby Cry” (featuring Sean Paul, Joss Stone) — All That I Am (2005)
“Twisted” (featuring Anthony Hamilton) — All That I Am (2005)
“Nothing at All (featuring Musiq) — Shaman (2002)
“Sideways” (featuring Citizen Cope) — Shaman (2002)
“Hoy Es Adios” (featuring Alejandro Lerner) — Shaman (2002)
“Amor Correspondido” (featuring Diego Torres) — Corazón (Deluxe Version) (2014)
“Yo Me Lo Merezco” (featuring Buika) — Africa Speaks (2019)
“Trinity” (featuring Kirk Hammett) — All That I Am (2005)
“The Game of Love” (featuring Tina Turner) — Ultimate Santana (2007)
“Beijo de Longe” (featuring Gloria Estefan) — Corazón (2014)
“Margarita” (featuring Romeo Santos) — Corazón (2014)
“Brown Skin Girl” (featuring Bo Bice) — All That I Am (2005)
“Just Feel Better” (featuring Steven Tyler) — Ultimate Santana (2007)
“La Flaca” (featuring Juanes) — Corazón (2014)
“Candombe Cumbele” (featuring Buika) — Africa Speaks (2019)
“Victory Is Won” — Shaman (2002)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.