Classic Rock News

If you’re an Alice Cooper fan, you know that the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is really into playing golf and has hosted a charity golf tournament for the past 27 years. But in a new interview, Alice says he only got into the sport because he needed something to distract him from his substance abuse.

Speaking to the Scott Mills Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, Alice explained, “I had to find an addiction that wasn’t gonna kill me because all my other ones were killing me. And I lived in Arizona, so I went, ‘Well, there’s 130 courses in Phoenix — I’ll try that.'”

“And I got addicted immediately,” he continued. “I hit two good shots and I went, ‘OK, I’m here.’ I play every morning.”

Asked if he plays with his “rock friends,” Alice dished, “Some of the guys can play. A lot of the guys really shouldn’t be on the golf course at all. You know, Meat Loaf should never have been on a golf course.” He added that Eddie Van Halen wasn’t exactly a whiz on the links either.

“So you played golf with Eddie Van Halen and Meat Loaf?” the deejay asked.

“Well, I played golf,” quipped Alice.

Alice and his original Alice Cooper Group recently released their first new album in over 50 years, The Revenge Of Alice Cooper.

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Wanna learn how to play the iconic guitar solo in “Hotel California” from the guy who wrote it? Now’s your chance.

Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder is offering fans a chance to win an an all-expenses-paid trip to Nashville. During the trip the winner will receive a one-on-one lesson from him, as well as an Epiphone Double Neck SG guitar, a signed bass drum head and tickets to the Musicians Hall of Fame. You’ll also get a tour of the Gibson Guitar Vault and attend a Gibson showcase as Felder’s guest.

The Rock & Roll Retreat Sweepstakes is a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which treats childhood cancer and other diseases, and covers families’ treatment, travel, housing and other expenses.

“As a young child, I spent two and a half months in the polio ward where music on the radio was my lifeline,” Felder says in a statement. “Music gave me hope, freedom, and something to enjoy in such a scary place for someone just beginning their life. That’s where my love for music began—in a children’s hospital.”

“I was fortunate and only have minimal lasting effects. But so many children aren’t as lucky,” he adds. 

If you enter before Aug. 15, you’ll also get a chance to win an Epiphone Les Paul Standard 50s guitar.

You can register for the sweepstakes at donfelder.com/contests. You’ll receive one entry for every $50 you donate to St. Jude.

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On This Day, Aug. 1, 1942…

Jerome John “Jerry” Garcia was born in San Francisco, California.

Co-founder of the legendary rock band the Grateful Dead, Garcia was the principal songwriter, lead guitarist and a vocalist for the group, and for many he was their de facto leader.

The Grateful Dead came to prominence during the counterculture of the 1960s, and went on to become one of the most beloved rock bands, especially among fans who would follow them across the country.

The Dead only had one Top 40 single throughout their career, 1987’s “Touch of Grey.” But their touring success was immeasurable, and they were one of the highest-grossing touring acts for decades. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Garcia struggled with diabetes later in life, and also struggled with addiction. He passed away from a heart attack on Aug. 9, 1955, at the age of 53.

This weekend, the Grateful Dead’s 60-year legacy will be celebrated in San Francisco, the city where they were formed. Dead & Company, which features founding members of The Dead Bobby Weir and Mickey Hart, are headlining three nights at the city’s Golden Gate Park, Aug. 1, 2 and 3.

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The Doobie Brothers — featuring founding members Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Pat Simmons — are set to kick off the North American leg of their Walk This Road tour on Monday, their first time touring the States since releasing their new studio album, Walk This Road, in June.

Johnston tells ABC Audio fans can expect to hear new songs from the album at their shows, but they likely won’t play “more than two or three, maximum.”

“Because you still got this backlog of catalog that everybody wants to hear … which is great because people love it,” Johnston says. “And so the new songs are an adventure.”

Of course, fitting in all the songs fans want to hear isn’t easy.

“Our problem is, there’s just so many songs to do in a certain amount of time that we always have to make these hard choices,” McDonald explains. “I think if it was up to all of us, we’d do them all, but we’d probably be up there for four hours trying to play them all.”

He adds, “They’d probably have to send an ambulance for us after that, but yeah, we try to cover it all as much as we can, the important stuff.”

And pleasing the audience is something that’s important to Johnston, who says that “interacting with the crowd” is his favorite part of playing live.

“I mean, they’re the ones that, to me, make it worthwhile to do this,” he says. “The crowd has just been phenomenal, have been for years. And that’s not something I take for granted. … That’s what it’s all about.” 

The Doobie Brothers’ U.S. tour begins Monday in Detroit. A complete list of dates can be found at The DoobieBrothers.com.

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Foghat‘s 1975 album Fool for the City, which gave us both the classic title track and their signature song “Slow Ride,” is getting a 50th anniversary reissue.

Available on double CD and double vinyl, the package includes a remastered version of the original album, as well as a second disc of live tracks from a 1975 show at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom. The CD includes two bonus tracks not included on the vinyl — including a live cover of Chuck Berry‘s “Maybellene” — plus an interview with the band’s Roger Earl and Nick Jameson about the making of “Slow Ride.” 

The package was mixed, mastered and produced by Nick Jameson, who also produced the original album. You can preorder both versions now; they ship on Sept. 12, just a few days before the anniversary of the album’s release.

Fool for the City was the British rockers’ first album to be certified RIAA Platinum. On Aug. 6, Earl and Jameson will appear on TalkShop.Live’s Rock & Roll Channel to talk about the album and the new package. You can preorder autographed versions of the CD and vinyl now via TalkShop.Live.

Foghat launches a tour Aug. 9, and they’re offering their fans a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas for the band’s Sept. 13 show. All you have to do is design your own version of the cover of Fool for the City, which shows Earl sitting on a crate in the middle of a New York City street, fishing down a manhole. You can download the original background now and submit your design to Foghat’s website by Aug. 15.

Here’s the reissue track listing:

Original album:
“Fool For The City”
“My Babe”
“Slow Ride”
“Terraplane Blues”
“Save Your Loving (For Me)”
“Drive Me Home”
“Take It Or Leave”

1975 live show:
“Fool For The City”
“Home In My Hand”
“My Babe”
“Honey Hush”
“Slow Ride”
“I Just Wanna Make Love To You”
“Wild Cherry”*
“Maybellene”*
*CD only

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Some big-name musicians guest star in the new Netflix streaming hit Happy Gilmore 2, but it’s the big names on the movie’s soundtrack who are reaping the benefits.

While Bad Bunny, Post Malone and Eminem all appear in the film, the soundtrack features a number of classic rock staples, which Billboard reports have received streaming bumps since the movie debuted July 25. The biggest winner is “Tuesday’s Gone,” the Lynyrd Skynyrd song that also appeared in the original Happy Gilmore film. 

Billboard reports that according to Luminate data, that song saw a 44% increase in streams in the film’s first four days of release. Streams of Foreigner‘s “Juke Box Hero” increased by 18%, while Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers‘ “The Waiting” earned a 15% bump. Another song, “Swingin’ Party” by The Replacements, more than doubled its streams.

Billboard didn’t provide streaming data on the other songs that appear in the film, which include “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” by The Bob Seger System, “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, “Wooly Bully” by Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, “Goodbye to You” by Scandal featuring Patty Smyth and “Magic” by Pilot.

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The Doors are currently celebrating their 60th anniversary, and guitarist Robby Krieger will mark the milestone with a special show at LA’s Greek Theatre.

Tickets for the Oct. 30 show go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time. According to an Instagram post, Krieger will be performing “Morrison Hotel, plus all of the Doors’ hits.” Opening for him will be the band Tripform, whose members include Pablo Manzarek, son of the late Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek.

Morrison Hotel, released in 1970, was the Doors’ fifth album. It features the well-known tracks “Roadhouse Blues,” “Waiting for the Sun” and “Peace Frog.”

According to Krieger’s website, the first 60 tickets sold will cost only $2.50. He notes, “Some of my close friends may also be making special appearances… you’ll have to wait & see!” It’s possible those “friends” may include Doors drummer John Densmore. He and Krieger are the only surviving members of the band; lead singer Jim Morrison died in 1971.

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Jackson Browne and Marshall Crenshaw are among the artists participating in Join Me in L.A.: The Songs of Warren Zevon, an October benefit concert that will raise money for the several charities, Variety reports.

The Oct. 24 event at LA’s United Theater is presented by Wild Honey Foundation and the Zevon Family. It will feature performances of 25 songs from the late Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. In addition to Browne and Crenshaw, the concert will feature many guest artists, plus some of Zevon’s collaborators, including his co-writer and producer Jorge Calderon and noted session bassist Leland Sklar, who played on multiple Zevon albums.

Browne produced Zevon’s 1976 self-titled album and co-produced his 1978 release, Excitable Boy, which featured the classic “Werewolves of London.”

Tickets go on sale Aug. 8. The proceeds will benefit the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, for which Zevon’s son, Jordan Zevon, is the national spokesperson. Zevon died of an asbestos-related illness, mesothelioma, in 2003 at age 56. Also benefiting will be the Ed Asner Family Center for the Autism Community.

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On This Day, July 31, 1980…

During a benefit gig in Long Beach, California, Eagles members Glenn Frey and Don Felder spent the show detailing how they planned to beat each other up after it was over.

The show – now known as the “Long Night at Wrong Beach” – was a benefit for California Sen. Alan Cranston’s reelection campaign. The band basically split up after the gig, although they did go on to release a live album of the tour, Eagles Live, in order to fulfill their commitment to Elektra Records.

The band eventually reconvened in 1994, although Felder was kicked out of the group in 1999. Frey passed away in 2016, but the band continued on with Glenn’s son Deacon Frey and Vince Gill joining the group.

In July 2023, the Eagles announced they were going on their final tour, but they are still performing. They kicked off a Las Vegas residency at the Sphere in September 2024 and will return to the venue on Sept. 5, with shows scheduled through November. A complete list of dates can be found at eagles.com.

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Elton John appears in the long-awaited Spinal Tap sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, but before the film hits theaters, you can watch him rock out with the Tap in a new video.

In the sequel, estranged Spinal Tap bandmates David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls — played by Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer, respectively — are forced to reunite for one final concert. In the video, which is a scene from the movie, we see the band onstage, performing their classic “Stonehenge.”

After Tufnel delivers the spoken intro, a piano rises up out of the stage with a caped Elton behind the keys. He throws off his cake and begins singing the song, with the band joining in. At the end, a full-size replica of Stonehenge — not the 18-inch high version that became famous in the first film — descends from the ceiling.

The new version of “Stonehenge” appears on the soundtrack album for the film, which includes nine new songs and four “reinvented” classics. In addition to “Stonehenge,” Elton also joins the band for a remake of their early hit “Flower People,” while Paul McCartney, who’s also in the movie, duets with them on “Cups and Cakes.”

Also on the album, superstar country couple Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood appear on a new version of one of Spinal Tap’s other classics, “Big Bottom.” Yes, you heard that correctly.

Here’s the track list for The End Continues album, due Sept. 12, the same day the sequel hits theaters:

“Nigel’s Poem”
“Let’s Just Rock Again”
“Flower People” with Elton John
“Brighton Rock”
“The Devil’s Just Not Getting Old”
“Cups and Cakes” with Paul McCartney
“I Kissed a Girl”
“Angels”
“Big Bottom” with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood
“Judge and Jury”
“Rockin’ in the Urn”
“Blood to Let”
“Stonehenge” with Elton John

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