Rock lost a legend on this day in 2020 when Eddie Van Halen passed away after a battle with several serious health issues.  The guitar great's death was attributed to a stroke while he was sufferring from pneumonia, a blood disorder and lung cancer.

The future legendary guitarist was born Edward Lodewijk van Halen in the Netherlands on January 26, 1955.  When he was six, Eddie's family would move to Pasadena, California, where he and his older brother Alex would both start taking piano lessons.  Eddie became a quite accomplished  young pianist despite the fact he did not learn to read music.  Ironically, Alex took-up the guitar first, a move that prompted Eddie to get a drum kit.  They switched instruments after Eddie heard his brother banging out the drum solo in the Sufaris' instrumental Wipe Out!

The pair's first band was formed when Eddie and Alex were still in grade school. The orgin of the group that would become one of the biggest bands in Rock history would come in 1972 and played out under a couple of names before settleing on Van Halen in 1974.  The group's raucous and roaring sets on the southern California club circuit caught the attention of Warner Brothers Records and the label signed VH in 1976.

The transition from opening act to tour headliner was rapid once promoters and more established acts saw the group live.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on October 6 include...

1951 REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin born.

1972 Genesis releases Fox Trot.

1978 Mick Jagger apologizes to Jesse Jackson for the lyrics on Some Girls.

1980 John Lydon of the Sex Pistols arrested for brawling in a Dublin pub.

1992 Stevie Ray Vaughan In The Beginning released.

1994 Glenn Frey has abdominal surgery, delaying Eagles Hell Freezes Over tour.

1998 John Mellencamp releases self-titled album.

2003 David Lee Roth abandons $200,000 suit against Van Halen.

2005 Bomb treat interrupts Rolling Stones set at the University of Virginia A Bigger Bang tour concert.

2008 Peter Green Anthology released.

2009 Joe Perry Project releases Have Guitar, Will  Travel.

2015 Yoko Ono's attempt to set Guinness World Record for the most humans forming a peace sign falls short in Central Park...

Bruce Springsteen's November 11 release Only the Strong Survive finds The Boss and band in the soul gold mine for an album packing 15 songs, most of them relatively deep tracks from an overall popularity standpoint. 

1. Only the Strong Survive

2. Soul Days (featuring Sam Moore)

3. Nightshift

4. Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)

5. The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore

6. Turn Back the Hands of Time

7. When She Was My Girl

8. Hey, Western Union Man

9. I Wish It Would Rain

10. Don’t Play That Song

11. Any Other Way

12. I Forgot to Be Your Lover (featuring Sam Moore)

13. 7 Rooms of Gloom

14. What Becomes of the Brokenhearted

15. Someday We’ll Be Together

New album announcements come in may forms and sizes. The Rolling Stones almost always went big - playing live on a flatbed truck rolling through Manhattan, buying giant billboard displays. Bruce Springsteen opts for a much more subtle approach. A couple of weeks ago, Rolling Stone Magazine's Jann Wenner let slip in an interview that he got a copy of a new Springsteen album with the E Street Band that would be out this fall. Whether or not Bruce approved him revealing that isn't clear, but it's the kind of thing he might have okayed. No announcement has followed from Springsteen or his label, but yesterday, this uncaptioned photo of a mid-to late 1960's steering wheel popped up in a tweet on his Twitter account. Looks like a release date is just around the corner.

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS

More than 4 hours of highlights from Tom Petty's 20 night stand at the Fillmore in San Francisco with the Heartbreakers in 1997 are included in a box set due out on November 25. The 58 song collection includes 35 cover songs on a 4 CD set and a 32 page booklet of photos, an "All Access" tour laminated pass and a three pack of guitar picks.

Steve Perry is taking legal action against Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain in a trademark challenge over twenty Journey songs. The band's former lead singer contends that Schon and Cain sought to register the songs for commercial use without his agreeing to it. The filing has renewed bickering between the former band mates, with guitarist Schon attributing Perry's move to jealousy in a tweet on his Twitter account, and also describing it as "...a real sickness".

Before the Arizona Cardinals and The Raiders take the field at Allegiant Stadium Sunday  afternoon (9/18), longtime Raiders fan Carlos Santana will take it to play the National Anthem. We hope the network carrying this game won't repeat the blown coverage that occurred during Ozzy Osbourne's half time performance during an NFL game last week.  The performance will be one of the first the guitarist does after being sidelined by a health scare after collapsing on stage during a concert several weeks ago.

Marcus King's second solo album gets it's title from the fitting nickname Jaimoe from the Allman Brothers gave him when the now 26 year old rocker was hanging around absorbing everything a youngster could from southern rock bands. The name stuck, and the music sparked the passion and ambition in King to pursue a career in music. After an excellent but comparatively subdued last album, King is rocking again on Young Blood, an album with blistering, grinding, soulfully great guitar work. Recognizable influences include the Allman Brothers, of course, but also ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and others, but King's own style comes through and makes this impressive new album well worth checking out.

Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road farewell tour has filled stadiums, large arenas and earned rave reviews. Elton will do what he has maintained will be his last US concerts with three nights in Dodger Stadium in November. Concerts on the 17th and 19th will be filmed for a documentary about his final tour. The final one on November 20 will be streamed live by Disney+, which will also carry the documentary once production of it wraps-up.

John Lennon's killer will remain behind bars until at least 2024. Mark David Chapman was denied parole for the twelfth time, New York State corrections officials announced Monday (9/12). Chapman, now 67, will continue serving his 20 years-life sentence at the Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, New York, about 70 miles north of New York City.

AC/DC front man Brian Johnson's autobiography hits bookstores and online sellers on October 13 in the UK and October 25 in the US. The Penguin publication titled The Lives of Brian will chronicle Johnson's childhood, his musically formative years in a series of bands and the skyrocketing career opportunity auditioning and being anointed by AC/DC to be the successor to the late, great Bon Scott turned out to be for him.

Photo: Isle of Man Post Office

A run of commemorative stamps celebrating David Bowie's acting career can be ordered from the Ilse of Man Post Office starting on Monday, September 12th. The set of stamps covers his stage and screen roles in The Elephant Man, Everybody Loves Sunshine, Labyrinth, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, Just a Gigolo, The Man Who Fell to Earth and the BBC's televised adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's Baal. Design of the series was entrusted to Jonathan Barnbrook, who Bowie relied on to create all of the album covers from 2002 - 2016 Blackstar, the lp released within days of Bowie's passing.



 

A Jimi Hendrix Experience concert set recorded at the Los Angeles Forum in Inglewood, California in the spring of 1969 is set for a November 18th release. Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969 features a medley of VooDoo Child and the Cream classic Sunshine Of Your Love and will be available in a double disc vinyl version, a CD release and on several digital streaming platforms.

The 5th expanded edition reissue of a Beatles album will be 1966's Revolver. Producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell have remixed the album's original tracks and enhanced them by processing them in stereo with Dolby Atmos, a spatial sound technology that creates a more immersive listening experience.
Out on October 28th, the expanded edition will also include nearly 30 alternate takes from the original sessions, a few home demos and a 100 page hard cover book with a forward penned by Paul McCartney.

Photo credit: YouTube

What was already an impressive lineup grew even more so with some late additions and surprise guests during last night's tribute to the late Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters at Wembley Stadium in London. The night's music opened with the Foo Fighters backing Liam Gallagher on the Oasis songs Rock and Roll Star and Live Forever. Other highlights included Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme joined by Nile Rogers, Jane's Addiction's Chris Chaney doing David Bowie' s Let's Dance, Taylor's side bands Chevy Metal and Coattail Riders did versions of the Talking Head's Psycho Killer and T. Rex's Children of the Revolution, with Wolfgang Van Halen later joining the Riders on VH's Hot For Teacher. Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones reconvened Them Crooked Vultures for the first time in 12 years to do Goobye Yellowbrick Road. Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders emerged with Dave Grohl on bass to do Brass In Pocket, Precious and Tattooed Love Boys. Joe Walsh brought former James Gang members out to play Walk Away, The Bomber and Funk #49, with Grohl playing drums on the closing song. AC/DC's Brian Johnson and Metallica's Lars Ulrich teed-up Back In Black and Let There Be Rock. Police drummer Stewart Copeland did Next to You with the Foo Fighters and added Gaz Goombes on Evey Little Thing She Does Is Magic. Rush veterans Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson performed 21121 Overture (Grohl on drums), Working Man and YYZ. Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor raised the roof with We Will Rock You, I'm In Love With My Car and Under Pressure with Roger Taylor's son Rufus and Luke Spiller of the Struts, followed by May doing a solo acoustic rendition of Love of My Life. The Foo Fighters took the stage with rotating drummers Omar Hakim, John Freese and Travis Baker to do Times Like These, All My Life, The Pretender, Monkey Wrench, Learn to Fly, One of These Days and Best of You. Unannounced guest Paul McCartney then emerged with Hynde to join the Foos on the Beatle songs Oh! Darling and Helter Skelter. The epic evening drew to a close with the Foo Fighters doing Aurora, then bringing out Taylor Hawkin's son Shane to drum on My Hero, after which Dave Grohl did Everlong solo.

The owner of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts also happens to be one of the leading collectors of iconic rock instruments. Ones in his possession when they're not on display include a 1964 Gibson SG guitar owned by both George Harrison and John Lennon, David Gilmour's 1969 black Fender Stratocaster, Jerry Garcia's custom made Tiger guitar , Jimmy Page's 1959/60 Gibson Les Paul, the 1964 Fender Stratocaster Bob Dylan played during his first electric concert set at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, Kurt Cobain's 1969 Smells Like Teen Spirit Fender Mustang guitar, Ringo Starr's 1963 Ludwig drum set, and numerous other high-ticket collectibles he prizes much as he does his team's 2006 Super Bowl victory.

Many owners of high value instruments owned and played by music legends limit who gets to see them to a very few people, but Irsay has loaned many of the ones in his collection to museums and even financed a tour including a good number of them that went to several cities.

This year, the Colts owner's fan friendly gesture will be to celebrate his team's return to the field with a free concert at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 9th that will include a set of rock classics with Irsay himself on vocals, Mike Mills of R.E.M. on bass, Kenny Aranoff behind the drums and Kenny Wayne Shepherd on guitar.

The drummer will also perform that night with the lead vocalist

he regularly backs on tour and in the studio, John Mellencamp, as well as doing sets with Buddy Guy, John Hiatt, and Heart's Ann Wilson.

Aranoff, who has known Irsay more than 30 years, says his love of rock music is intense and genuine. According to the drummer, the billionaire is "...listening to music 24/7. It's not a hobby, It really touches him, and he relates to the spirit and the lyrics of what these musicians have done."

Blue Note Records is releasing a 12 song tribute album to Leonard Cohen that includes renditions of his songs from an eclectic group of musicians. Here's the list of songs and the artist featured on Here It Is: A Tribute To Leonard Cohen, due out on October 14th...

Steer Your Way - Norah Jones

Here it Is - Peter Gabriel

Suzanne - Gregory Porter

Hallelujah - Sarah McLachlan

Avalanche - Immanuel Wilkins

Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye - Luciana Souza

Coming Back to You - James Taylor

You Want it Darker - Iggy Pop

If it Be Your Will - Mavis Staples

Seems So Long Ago, Nancy - David Gray

Famous Blue Raincoat - Nathaniel Rateliff

Bird on the Wire - Bill Frisell

Fender is producing a limited and painstakingly detailed reproduction of the 1955 Stratocaster that Graham Nash gave Jerry Garcia as an gift for playing on Nash's debut solo album. The instrument would be Jerry's go-to guitar during a good stretch of his career. The 2022 reincarnation of what came to be known as 'the Alligator' is faithful right down to the alligator and other stickers on it, the unusual string-retainer bar, and even the cigarette burns on it. The original almost met its demise in November 1971 at Symphony Hall in Boston when the the lower half of the pickguard cracked wide open. As the guitar’s electronics spilled out, Garcia frantically waved his tech, Steve Parish, onstage for a helping hand. Parish started shoving the guts of the instrument back in place while keeping everything together with nothing more than a roll of gaffer’s tape. Miraculously, Garcia and the Strat made it through the rest of the show. Some days later, the pair decided to replace the missing chunk of pickguard with a Masonite plate (replaced with a brass plate in the early 80’s). From there, the modifications just kept coming. By 1972, the Alligator was hardly recognizable from the 1955 Stratocaster that Graham Nash gifted Garcia back in 1970. However, thanks to the countless personal touches added by Parish and Garcia, it has become one of history’s most iconic guitars. Every detail of the Jerry Garcia Alligator Stratocaster is meticulously recreated, from the carefully measured contours and radii of the one-piece ash body to the hammered brass control plate, replica pickguard and body stickers, and custom replica “Blaster” clean-boost output jack assembly. Master built in the Custom Shop by Austin MacNutt, the Jerry Garcia Alligator Stratocaster is limited to 100 built-to-order instruments. All three pickups are Josefina hand-wound ’55-style single-coil Stratocaster pickups replicated from the Alligator itself, along with five-way switching, standard vintage Stratocaster wiring and replica “hat” control knobs on a three-ply parchment pickguard. Premium features also include a Relic lacquer finish, one-piece rift-sawn maple neck with a profile scanned and replicated directly from the original guitar, 7.25” fingerboard radius and 1.625” brass nut width, 21 Medium Vintage frets, custom brass bridge and tailpiece with rosewood base plate, Schaller M6 tuners, disc string tree with custom retainer bar, and custom birdseye maple back plate. Custom hardshell case included.
The materials, detail and craftsmanship being put into these instruments comes at a hefty price.  Each of the 100 being made will go for $20,000.

David Gilmour and his wife, author Polly Samson, are said to be planning to sell their elegant 8.000 square foot seaside home in East Sussex, England. The beautiful home includes a guest cottage, the former Pink Floyd guitarist's home studio and beautiful views of the sea to the south and the English Channel to the east. Asking price for the custom built home belonging to one of the most renowned guitarists of all time is expected to be $18.3 million.

Fans of Little Feat will find a lot to like in Steve Huntington's on demand show with Fred Tackett, now playing on the SiriusXM app. The founding DJ and programmer of Radio Margaritaville's open ended sessions with musicians make for great listening as his guests share anecdotes along with favorite songs of their own and ones from other musicians they admire. Subscribers can latch ears onto Steve's session with Fred as well as previous and upcoming episodes by searching Steve Huntington in the SirusXM app.

Todd Rundgren's first album of new material in five years will arrive October 14th. Space Force includes contributions from Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, Split Enz, Crowded House and now Fleetwood Mac member Neil Finn, and King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew, who also worked with David Bowie, and Frank Zappa and others. Most of the songs on the 12 track album were not written by Rundgren.

Ozzy Osbourne assembled quite the lineup of musicians for his soon to be released album Patient Number 9. The Prince of Darkness is joined on the September 9 release by co-founding Black Sabbath member Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton, Zakk Wylde, Metallica's Robert Trujillo, Pearl Jam veteran Mike McCready, Guns N' Roses Duff McKagan, the late Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters and Jane's Addiction's Chris Chaney.

Last night'sSouth Park anniversary concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado included a surprise reunion of Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush. The pair combined with Matt Stone on Closer to the Heart. While Lee has kept a low musical profile, Lifeson has continued performing with his group Envy of None. Asked by Eddie Trunk during an edition of his SiriusXM show whether he and Geddy might get around to playing together in the future, Alex replied, "If there's something that comes up in the future, an opportunity for us to do something, we'll decide over a cup of coffee what that'll be", but he added, "We had such a great history and did so much great stuff together, it's really not a big deal if, for the rest of our lives, we're just best friends."

Farm Aid makes its way back to Raleigh, North Carolina for the first time in nearly a decade on September 24th. The annual benefit for family farms organized by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young was first staged in Champaign, Illinois in September, 1985. It was last hosted at Walnut Creek in 2014. The 2022 edition will feature Nelson, Mellencamp and frequent regular Dave Matthews but not Neil Young, who won't resume playing live concerts until the pandemic is in the rearview mirror. Others confirmed for the event include Chris Stapleton, Sheryl Crow, Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Allison Russell.

Organizing this event is one of the many reasons we love Joe Walsh.

A film and recordings of a mid April, 1970 performance Creedence Clearwater Revival did at London's Royal Albert Hall have emerged after having languished in storage for more than 50 years. Producer Giles Martin has restored and remixed the recordings, which will get released on September 16th. The album and film will be offered together in a box set coming out November 14th.

Photo Credit: Michael Ochs archive

One of the most highly regarded figures in the music business passed away at 95 Sunday. Mo Ostin, the past chairman of Warner Bros. Records, brought musicians from Frank Sinatra, to Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison, the Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, R.E.M., and Green Day to labels within the Warner orbit and earned the trust and respect of all of them by making sure artists felt like the label worked for them instead of the other way around. Ostin also helped cultivate the development of other labels that helped establish the careers of the Talking Heads, Pretenders, Slash and many others. He did it all in a much less assuming way that brash label head honchos like Clive Davis and David Geffen. As Ostin said, "To me, the artist is the person who should be in the foreground", and that's the way it always was with Mo.

Plenty of musicians have biographies, autobiographies and biopics, but Stevie Nicks now has the rare and added distinction of having a comic book about her. TidalWave Comics has published a 22 pager on the Fleetwood Mac member's life and career. Nick's joins Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, KISS, Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden and a handful of other artists in the comic book realm.

With streaming royalties generating only a fraction of the income musicians used to receive from album sales, many songwriters have opted to sell their publishing rights outright. One of the most prolific songwriters ever, Bob Dylan, was one of the first in the recent wave opting to do that. The amount Dylan received in the 2020 deal to sell some 600 songs in his catalog wasn't revealed, but is believed to be more than $300 million. That done, Dylan has hit on another idea for keeping flush; re-recording a single vinyl copy of one of his classics and putting it up for bidding. If the initial one is any indication, doing so will be well worth the time and effort. Last March, Dylan and T. Bone Burnett recorded a new version of Blowin' In The Wind. The auction for the one-of-a-kind vinyl pressing resulted in a bidding battle between two super fans that ended with the disc going for $1.8 million.

Rapid recovery wishes to Carlos Santana. The soon to turn 75 guitar legend collapsed in the middle of a song during last night's concert at Pine Knob Music Theatre near Detroit. He as seen waving to fans as he was being removed from the scene on a stretcher. Early indications are that dehydration and heat exhaustion caused him to pass out, but he was being evaluated to make sure no other causes were involved. As a precaution, a Pennsylvania concert has been postponed.