Classic Rock News

It was 40 years ago that John Mellencamp, then known as John Cougar Mellencamp, released his critically acclaimed eighth studio album, Scarecrow, which was filled with songs about the fading American dream, thanks to the greed of corporate America.

Recorded in his studio in Indiana, Scarecrow was filled with songs speaking to the people of the heartland, like “Rain on the Scarecrow,” which addressed the plight of small family-owned farms during the 1980s, as well as “Small Town,” in which Mellencamp sang about his experiences growing up in Indiana.

The two were among the five singles released from the record, with three of them hitting the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100: “Small Town” and “Lonely Ol’ Night,” which both peaked at #6, and “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.,” which went to #2. “Rain on the Scarecrow” peaked at #21, while the fifth single, “Rumbleseat,” hit #28.

Scarecrow wound up being a commercial success for Mellencamp. It landed at #2 on the Billboard 200 and has gone on to be certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA.

Mellencamp’s interest in the plight of the American farmer didn’t end with Scarecrow. The same year as the album’s release, he, Willie Nelson and Neil Young organized the benefit concert Farm Aid to raise money to help U.S. farmers.

The first concert was held on Sept. 22, 1985, in Champaign, Illinois, and the Farm Aid organization has raised nearly $80 million since then. The 40th anniversary concert will be held Sept. 20 in Minneapolis. Mellencamp, Young and Nelson, who are all part of the Farm Aid board, are headlining, along with Dave Matthews and Margo Price, who joined the board in 2001 and 2021, respectively.

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Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails have reportedly traded drummers. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dave Grohl and company have recruited longtime NIN drummer Ilan Rubin to man the kit after parting ways with Josh Freese in May. THR also reports that Freese is rejoining Trent Reznor‘s band after previously playing with the “Closer” outfit from 2005 to 2008.

Nine Inch Nails seemingly welcomed Freese back in an Instagram Story reading, “Let’s f****** go @joshfreese.”

ABC Audio has reached out to reps for Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails.

Freese joined Foo Fighters in 2023 following the 2022 death of Taylor Hawkins. In the post announcing the end of his Foos tenure, Freese shared that the band told them they decided “to go in a different direction with their drummer.”

“No reason was given,” Freese wrote.

As for Rubin, he first played with Nine Inch Nails from 2008 to 2009 before returning in 2013, and remained the band’s live drummer through the European leg of their Peel It Back world tour, which just concluded in July. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with NIN in 2020.

Rubin also plays in Tom DeLonge‘s Angels & Airwaves project.

Foo Fighters are set to return to the live stage in October for a run of dates in Asia.

Nine Inch Nails’ Peel It Back tour continues with the U.S. leg in August.

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The current lineup of Foreigner doesn’t include any founding members, but that will change in December, when original vocalist Lou Gramm joins the band for some songs during their upcoming Foreigner 4 Deluxe Tour. Lou says he’s participating in the tour, in part, because founding guitarist Mick Jones‘ health won’t allow him to.

Appearing on the Beyond the Vibe podcast, Gramm explained, “Well, I know that since we were inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame, there’s been a lot reinterest in the band … the early band and the band as it currently is. And I know Mick is not in good health. I think if he was in good health, he would be out there with this band, and maybe I would be joining him.”

In February 2024, Jones revealed he had stopped performing because he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Gramm continued, “But he’s not well enough to play, and I feel like I want to help fly the flag for the band — the original band, and the current band right now — in these waning moments and moments when we’re getting so much attention for what we’ve accomplished over the years. I want to be out there as one of the original members to wave the flag.”

Gramm went on to say that he’s most looking forward to playing “Juke Box Hero,” “Hot Blooded” and “Double Vision” with the band, adding, “The old ones, they don’t get tiring to me because they’re standards. They’re the songs that I think will be around forever.”

Foreigner 4 Deluxe, dropping Sept. 12, is a five-disc CD/Blu-Ray package that includes newly remastered stereo and Atmos remixes of the album. There’s also a whole host of extras, including unreleased songs, alternate versions, instrumentals and live performances.

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If watching the HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes has you fired up about Billy’s music, now’s your chance to jam with the members of his band, past and present.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp is hosting a Rock ‘N’ Soul Camp in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in December. While there, you’ll be able to play some of Billy’s biggest hits with Billy’s former drummer Liberty DeVitto; his current keyboardist and musical director David Rosenthal; and Crystal Taliefero, the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who’s been working with Billy since 1989.

In other Billy Joel news, he continues to roll out new archival performances on his YouTube channel. The latest is an a cappella performance of his 1984 hit “The Longest Time,” recorded by Billy and his then-bandmates in the locker room showers at the Capital Centre, a sports arena in Landover, Maryland. DeVitto is seen providing percussion by thumping on a book.

A snippet of the performance can be seen in the documentary, but this is the entire song. More archival performances will be posted to Billy’s YouTube channel in the coming weeks. You can also find the audio versions of these performances on the 155-track digital companion to the doc, which is now available on streaming services.

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Sammy Hagar and REO Speedwagon‘s Kevin Cronin are among the performers who’ll be headlining One805Live! 2025, an annual benefit that supports the first responders of Santa Barbara County, California.

Also on the bill are former Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum, Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, the bands The Fray and Good Charlotte, and country star Trisha Yearwood.

The event is set for Sept. 20 at Kevin Costner‘s oceanside estate in the Santa Barbara area, and tickets are on sale now.

Funds raised will go to essential equipment and mental wellness programs for Santa Barbara County’s first responders. Past events have been headlined by artists like John Fogerty and The Alan Parsons Project, as well as Pink and Maroon 5.

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Iron Maiden has shared a statement mourning the death of the band’s original singer, Paul Mario Day.

“We are deeply saddened that Paul Mario Day, Iron Maiden’s first ever vocalist back in 1975, has passed away,” the metal icons write in a Facebook post. “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to Paul’s family and friends.”

“Paul was a lovely person and good mate,” the post continues. “Rest in peace Paul.”

Day was in Maiden for a year before being replaced by Dennis Wilcock, who was then replaced by Paul Di’Anno. Current Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson joined in 1981.

Day’s death was announced Tuesday by the band Sweet, with whom he played for a stint in the ’80s.

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When Dead & Company perform their three headline shows in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Grateful Dead, fans on-site will get the first chance to sample two new anniversary-edition wines from the band’s collaboration with Gnarly Head wines.

The Old Vine Zinfadel and Cabernet Sauvignon wines will be available nationwide in August in commemorative bottles featuring a special label design incorporating the Dead’s 60th anniversary logo in holographic foil.

Grateful Dead archivist and legacy manager David Lemieux says in a statement, “For 60 years, the Grateful Dead has brought people together through music, community, and shared experiences—and that spirit lives on in this special collaboration with Gnarly Head wines.”

“These Anniversary-Edition wines capture the energy, creativity, and individuality that have defined the Dead for six decades, and fans now have a new way to celebrate the music and memories made along the way.”

The wines cost around $12 per bottle. Visit gnarlyhead.com for more information.

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Family and fans of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne gathered in his hometown of Birmingham, England, on Wednesday to say a final farewell.

The hearse carrying Ozzy, who died July 22 at the age of 76, traveled through the main streets of Birmingham with a view of the Black Sabbath frontman’s coffin covered in purple flowers.

The funeral procession made a stop at the city’s Black Sabbath bridge and bench, where a memorial for Ozzy grew in the week after his death.

Ozzy’s family members — led by his wife, Sharon Osbourne — got out at the bridge to view the memorial.

Sharon and her children Jack Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne and Aimee Osbourne were seen waving and giving peace signs to the thousands of fans gathered to pay tribute.

In addition to his three children with Sharon, Ozzy was also the father of three children from his first marriage: Louis Osbourne, Jessica Osbourne and Elliot Kingsley.

He was a grandfather of 10 at the time of his death.

Ozzy’s death came just over two weeks after he performed his final show in Birmingham alongside his original Black Sabbath bandmates at the Back to the Beginning benefit concert.

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Elton John‘s birthday is in March, but on Tuesday he marked a milestone birthday of another sort.

“Grateful for all the love on my sobriety birthday,” the Rocket Man wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of cards, drawings and flowers. July 29 marked his 35th year of sobriety. One card in the photo reads, “Happy 35th Birthday! We are so proud of you!” It’s signed by Elton’s husband, David Furnish, and their sons.

Another card says, “Congratulations on 35 years! We are immensely proud of you and wish you a lovely birthday today.” It’s signed “Your Rocket Family.” Rocket Entertainment is the name of Elton’s company.

Elton has been open about his substance abuse and other addictions in multiple interviews, as well as in his autobiography, Me. He sought help, joining Alcoholics Anonymous and going to rehab, finally getting clean in 1990. In his book, he estimated he’d attended some 1,400 support group meetings. He’s gone on to help other celebrities get sober, including Eminem and Donatella Versace.

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Queen bass player John Deacon dropped out of the spotlight after he retired in 1997, but he’s now reemerged to take part in a charity auction coming up in September.

The Official Freddie Mercury Birthday Party, an annual charity event organized by the Mercury Phoenix Trust, is taking place Sept. 6 in Montreux, Switzerland. A silent auction will be held for a copy of the band’s classic album A Night at the Opera, signed by Deacon, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. The money raised will go toward HIV/AIDS awareness.

According to the Mercury Phoenix Trust website, you don’t have to attend the party to enter a bid, but you do have to physically submit it at the Montreux Casino, where Queen’s Mountain Studios were formerly located and where the party is being held. 

As per NME, this is the first time that Deacon has signed memorabilia since 1997.

In 2023, May told The Guardian that despite his retirement, Deacon was “still very much a part of Queen.”

“If we have any major decision, business wise, it’s always run past John,” May said. 

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