Classic Rock News

Ozzy Osbourne‘s son Jack Osbourne has shared a tribute to his late father.

“I haven’t really wanted to post anything since the passing of my father,” Jack writes. “My heart has hurt too much. I’ll keep this short because he hated long, rambling speeches.”

“He was so many things to so many people, but I was lucky and blessed to be part of a very small group who got to call him ‘Dad,'” the younger Osbourne continues. “My heart is heavy with sadness and sorrow, but also full of love and gratitude. I got 14,501 days with that man, and I know what a blessing that is.”

Jack remembers some of those 14,501 days in an accompanying video titled “Some memories of my father,” which features home video footage of him growing up with Ozzy, as well as more recent film of the “Iron Man” rocker spending time with his grandchildren. You can watch the video, which is set to the Ozzy solo song “So Tired,” streaming now on YouTube.

Jack concludes his statement with a quote from late writer Hunter S. Thompson, which he feels “best describes” his dad: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body … but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow! What a ride!'”

“That was my dad,” Jack writes. “He lived — and he lived fully. I love you Dad.”

Ozzy died July 22 at age 76. He’d just played his final show with his original Black Sabbath bandmates at the Back to the Beginning concert on July 5.

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John Mellencamp and Neil Young with Chrome Hearts are among the artists headlining the 40th anniversary edition of Farm Aid in September, and they are giving fans a chance to win a VIP trip to the festival.

Farm Aid will take place Sept. 20 at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The organization has just launched a new sweepstakes, with a grand prize of two round-trip tickets to Minneapolis with hotel accommodations, along with two Hi-Fi Experience passes to the festival, which will also feature performances by Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds and Margo Price.

The package includes access to the photo pit, seats within the first 12 rows, passes to a Farm Aid event the night prior to the concert, passes to the Farm Aid press event before the concert and more.

The raffle is open now until Sept. 10 via Fandiem. Proceeds will go to help keep farmers on their land.

The first Farm Aid concert was held on Sept. 22, 1985, in Champaign, Illinois, and the Farm Aid organization has raised nearly $80 million since then. Other artists on this year’s bill include Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Billy Strings, Black Pumas’ Eric Burton and Waxahatchee. A complete lineup can be found at FarmAid.org.

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John Fogerty is getting honored for his songwriting. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, who’s responsible for writing such classic tunes as “Proud Mary,” “Fortunate Son,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain” and more, is set to receive BMI’s Troubadour Award in September.

According to the music rights management company, the honor “recognizes a songwriter who has made a profound impact on the creative community and whose work continues to set the pace for generations to follow.” Fogerty is being celebrated for “the tremendous influence he’s had on the American musical landscape.”

“John Fogerty has written and recorded some of the most distinctive and beloved rock songs of the 20th century, and his music is unequivocally the sound of America, with timeless lyrics wrapped in unforgettable melodies that continue to resonate with generations of fans around the world,” said BMI’s Clay Bradley. “We’re thrilled to honor John with the BMI Troubadour Award and celebrate his creative achievements and his songs, which have become the soundtrack of so many lives.”

Fogerty will receive his honor on Sept. 8 at a private event held at BMI’s Nashville office.

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A recently opened museum exhibit dedicated to Ozzy Osbourne has been extended following the heavy metal icon’s July 22 death.

Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero opened on June 25 at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and was supposed to close in September. But the museum, which is in Ozzy’s hometown, has announced that it will remain open until January due to public demand.

The exhibit was launched to coincide with Black Sabbath’s homecoming show at Villa Park on July 5, which also turned out to be Ozzy’s last concert. It highlights Ozzy’s solo achievements and many prestigious awards, and includes photos and videos charting his rise to fame, as well as Platinum and Gold discs.

“We are delighted to announce the extension of Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero to the end of the year,” Zak Mensah and Sara Wajid, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said in a statement. “The public response to the exhibition has been overwhelming so far, demonstrating the love and affection for Ozzy from the people of Birmingham and beyond.”

Since its opening, more than 96,000 visitors have checked out the exhibit.

Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero is expected to remain open until Jan. 18, 2026. More info can be found at birminghammuseums.org.uk.

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British musician Terry Reid, most famously known for turning down offers to front Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, has died at the age of 75.

His death was confirmed by Cleopatra Records, which said in a statement that the team was “deeply saddened by Reid’s passing.”

“Terry wasn’t just a legend—he was a true original. His voice had that rare magic that could shake a room or break your heart in a single note,” read the statement. “But beyond the voice, Terry was warm, funny, and utterly himself—always. Working with him was never just business; it was a pleasure, a lesson, and often, a bit of beautiful chaos.”

While a cause of death was not revealed, in July Reid postponed a fall tour of the U.K., Ireland and Norway due to “medical issues arising from recent treatment for cancer.” A GoFundMe was also set up to help pay his medical bills.

Reid released seven solo albums throughout his career and toured with such artists as The Rolling Stones, Cream, Jethro Tull and Fleetwood Mac. Several of his songs were also recorded by other musicians, including Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, The Hollies and The Raconteurs.

After his band the Yardbirds disbanded in the late ’60s, Jimmy Page offered Reid the spot as vocalist in his new group, but Reid turned him down because he was already committed to opening for The Stones. Page’s band would go on to become Led Zeppelin, with Reid suggesting Robert Plant for the frontman gig.

Plant paid tribute to Reid on Instagram, writing, “His voice, his range … his songs capturing that carefree era … Superlungs indeed.” He also acknowledged the part Reid played in him getting the Zeppelin gig, noting, “He catapulted me into an intense new world he chose to decline.”

Reid also passed on an offer from Ritchie Blackmore to replace original frontman Rod Evans in Deep Purple.

Graham Nash, who produced Reid’s 1976 album Seed of Memory, shared a tribute to Reid on his Instagram page, writing, “He was such a force. A talent beyond what I can express right now.” He added, “That voice. That guitar playing. That wonderful person we will all miss so dearly.”

David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, both of whom were in Deep Purple, also shared tributes. Coverdale called him an “Incredible singer, writer” and “One Of The Absolute Best,” while Hughes wrote that Reid was “one of the greatest Rock n Soul singers of Any generation.”

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Lenny Kravitz has nabbed a nomination for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards.

Kravitz has earned a nod in the best rock category for his song “Honey,” where he’s up against videos from Green Day, Coldplay, Evanescence, Linkin Park and Twenty One Pilots.

Kravitz actually won in the best rock category in 2024. He was recognized for the track “Human,” which, like “Honey,” appears on his 2024 album, Blue Electric Light. Kravitz also performed on last year’s show, treating the audience to a medley of “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” “Human” and “Fly,” featuring Quavo.

The 2025 VMAs will air live from New York’s UBS Arena Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and MTV, and will stream on Paramount+.

For the full list of nominees and to vote for your favorites, visit Vote.MTV.com.

Kravitz is in the middle of his latest Las Vegas residency at the Dolby Live at Park MGM. A complete list of dates can be found at LennyKravitz.com.

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For David Byrne and Hayley Williams, collaborating is more than just a “Once in a Lifetime” experience.

The respective Talking Heads and Paramore singers are linking up again for a new song called “Open the Door,” recorded for the upcoming animated Netflix film The Twits, based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name.

“I reached out to Hayley Williams to collaborate on the end credits song,” Byrne tells Netflix. “We both agreed that it should serve to remind us that there is heart and connection in the story after all the unpleasantness depicted by Mr. and Mrs. Twit.”

“Being a part of this movie is like one pinch-me moment after another. My favorite Roald Dahl book growing up was The Twits,” Williams says. “I owe David Byrne for pulling me into the music for this.”

Byrne also wrote three other original songs for The Twits – “We’re Not Like Ev’ryone Else,” “Lullaby,” and “The Problem Is You” – which will be performed by the movie’s cast.

The Twits is due out on Netflix later in 2025.

Byrne and Williams also collaborated on a song for Byrne’s upcoming solo album, Who Is the Sky?, which will be released Sept. 5. Previously, Paramore covered Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” while Byrne covered Paramore’s “Hard Times.”

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On This Day, Aug. 5, 1980…

Pat Benatar released her second studio album, Crimes of Passion, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200, a position it held for five weeks.

The album featured three singles, the most popular being “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” which was her first top-10 hit. The other singles included “You Better Run,” which was the second music video ever aired on MTV, and “Treat Me Right,” which was a top-20 hit.

Crimes of Passion went on to be certified four-times Platinum by the RIAA. It also earned Benatar a Grammy for best female rock vocal performance, her first Grammy ever. She went on to win three more Grammys in the same category.

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Drummer Zak Starkey has seemingly responded to new comments The Who’s Roger Daltrey has made regarding Starkey’s firing from the band.

In an interview with the U.K. publication The Times, Daltrey noted that comments Starkey made after The Who’s Royal Albert Hall show in March, where they appeared to have a disagreement on stage, were “kind of a character assassination,” adding that it was “incredibly upsetting.”

Well, now in a post on Instagram, Starkey shared text from an article quoting The Times piece, insisting in the caption, “I didn’t make any nasty comments about Roger when I got fired.”

At the Royal Albert Hall show Daltrey and Starkey appeared to have some words during the performance of “The Song Is Over,” but in The Times piece, Daltrey clarified that he was actually calling out the person handling his monitors.

“There was no conflict and no argument before the show or after as I was in my car on my way home before Pete (Townshend) and Roger had finished the last song ‘Tea and Theatre’ which is an acoustic duet and doesn’t feature any of the band,” Starkey writes, adding, “I thought the gig was ok. I had no idea about getting fired or any problems at all until a week after the show.”

He notes, “So either the times misunderstood or…confusion reigns O’er me and everyone else!”

Starkey says he thought the whole controversy over his firing “had blown over,” calling The Times story “old news and completely wrong.” He said he wasn’t going to respond to it but did so because the story “has been picked up by every outlet in the cosmos.”

Finally he writes, “I love Roger and he’s a f****** amazing singer – we go back too long for grudges.”

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Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott is showing off his piano skills in a new video posted to Instagram, and it looks like he’s a little rusty.

“Allow us to introduce you to Sir Elton Joe,” reads the post’s caption, an obvious reference to Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and well-known pianist Elton John. “When you get a piano in your hotel room for the first time in 46 years of touring, you have to put on a show. Even if it is out of tune.”

The video opens with the time filming began, 12:56 a.m., and Elliott showing off the piano in his room. He then sits down and tries to play a few notes, messing up several times to the point where he begins cursing at himself and loses track of how many attempts he’s made at performing.

It ends with the clip noting the time he ended his attempts — 2:30 a.m.

Luckily for Elliott, fans aren’t expecting to see him behind the piano when Def Leppard takes the stage. Their next show is Saturday in Placer County, California. A complete list of dates can be found at DefLeppard.com.

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