Photo: cc Mark Kent

R.I.P. Steve Harley. The journalist turned musician passed away over the weekend about a month after revealing that he had begun undergoing treatment for cancer. An acoustic troubadour during the early 1070's, Harley played London clubs and bars and did a stint as the rhythm guitarist in a folk band named Odin. Harley and fellow Odin member Jean-Paul Crocker would later combine with three others in Cockney Rebel. EMI eventually signed the band. An early recording became moderately big in parts of Europe but failed to gain much traction in England.

The Psychomodo, a 1974 release produced with assistance from Alan Parsons fared much better. Harley would return the favor by singing lead on The Voice, one of Parsons' best-known songs from his 1977 I Robot album. In the late 70's, Harley released solo albums that were moderately successful. He penned some songs Rod Stewart recorded on his Foolish Behavior album and also worked with Rick Wakeman.

Harley was also involved in the London production of The Phantom of the Opera. Andrew Lloyd Weber was so impressed with Harley singing the title song that Harley got invited to audition for the title role. He had a five month run playing the Phantom.

He remained musically active on multiple fronts in recent decades.

The reunited Balck Crowes are out with their first their first album of new songs since getting back together four years ago.  The 10 track album released today (3/15) is the group's ninth overall lp.

The reunited Balck Crowes are out with their first their first album of new songs since getting back together four years ago.  The 10 track album released today (3/15) is the group's ninth overall lp.

Mark Knopfler releases a new version of Going Home  (Theme from Local Hero)  today (3/15) to benefit the Teenage Cancer Trust that includes dozens of gueast artists, among them, Jeff Beck , Joe Bonamassa, Joe Brown,  Jonathan Cain, Paul Carrack, Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, Jim Steve Cropper, Sheryl Crow, Roger Daltrey, Duane Eddy, Peter Frampton, David Gilmour, Buddy Guy, Tony Iommi, Joan Jett,  Sonny Landreth, Albert Lee, Alex Lifeson, Steve Lukather, Phil Manzanera, Dave Mason, Brian May, Robbie McIntosh, John McLaughlin, Tom Morello, Rick Nielsen, Mike Rutherford, Joe Satriani, John Sebastian,  Slash, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Zak Starkey, Sting, Andy Taylor, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Ian Thomas, Pete Townshend, Keith Steve Vai, Waddy Wachtel, Joe Walsh, and Ronnie Wood.

Today saw the release of a remarkable benefit song with a lineup of musicians that's quite mindboggleing.  The new 9 minute version of Going Home, Mark Knopfler's theme song written for the film Local Hero, will benefit the Teenage Cancer Trust Fund and feaatures a number of musicians that have long histories of supporting charitable causes.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kNKvoVMcslk?si=CU1iG2Nd95EVdWGt&amp;start=120" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Lending their talent to the cause are:

Joan Armatrading, Jeff Beck, Richard Bennett, Joe Bonamassa, Joe Brown, James Burton, Jonathan Cain, Paul Carrack, Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, Jim Cox, Steve Cropper, Sheryl Crow, Danny Cummings, Roger Daltrey, Duane Eddy, Sam Fender, Guy Fletcher, Peter Frampton, Audley Freed, Vince Gill, David Gilmour, Buddy Guy, Keiji Haino, Tony Iommi, Joan Jett, John Jorgenson, Mark Knopfler, Sonny Landreth, Albert Lee, Greg Leisz, Alex Lifeson, Steve Lukather, Phil Manzanera, Dave Mason, Hank Marvin, Brian May, Robbie McIntosh, John McLaughlin, Tom Morello, Rick Nielsen, Orianthi, Brad Paisley, Nile Rodgers, Mike Rutherford, Joe Satriani, John Sebastian, Connor Selby, Slash, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr and Zak Starkey, Sting, Andy Taylor, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Ian Thomas, Pete Townshend, Keith Urban, Steve Vai, Waddy Wachtel, Joe Louis Walker, Joe Walsh, Ronnie Wood, Glenn Worf and Zucchero.

Brian Johnson and Steven Tyler accepeted invites from Slash to join him on Orgy of the Damned, the GNR veteran's next solo album.  AC/DC's Aerosmith's front men work together on a killer version of Killing Floor that features Johnson on lead vocals and Tyler on harmonica.  The release date for the project is May 17.

Little Feat gives fans a reason to shuffle on down to wherever they get their music with the group's first new studio album in a dozen years. Sam's Club, a collection of blues songs featuring long-term member Sam Clayton on lead vocals, gets released on May 17. In addition to Clayton, the current lineup of the band has previous Feat mainstays Fred Tackett and Kenny Gradney, along with recent recruits drummer Tony Leone and Scott Sharrard on guitar and vocals. Longtime friend & fan of the band Bonnie Raitt joins voices Clayton on Muddy Waters song Long Distance Call. The album also includes a version of Got My Mojo Working captured live at a Feat concert in Boulder, CO in December, 2022.

Little Feat gives fans a reason to shuffle on down to wherever they get their music with the group's first new studio album in a dozen years. Sam's Club, a collection of blues songs featuring long-term member Sam Clayton on lead vocals, gets released on May 17. In addition to Clayton, the current lineup of the band has previous Feat mainstays Fred Tackett and Kenny Gradney, along with recent recruits drummer Tony Leone and Scott Sharrard on guitar and vocals. Longtime friend & fan of the band Bonnie Raitt joins voices Clayton on Muddy Waters song Long Distance Call. The album also includes a version of Got My Mojo Working captured live at a Feat concert in Boulder, CO in December, 2022.

E Street Band drummer 'Mighty Max" Weinberg is mighty PO'ed with a car restoration outfit in Florida he contends failed to do work he expected would return his 1957 190SL Mercedes Benz to mint E Street condition. The drummer advance payment of $125,000 to the operator of a classic car restoration firm was, according to Weinberg, used by the proprietor and his family's personal expenses instead of on his car. According to court records, Weinberg wants to be compensated to the tune of $375,000 for the alleged misappropriation of his money and the years of being unable to enter the car in classic car shows.

Drums & Demons, The Tragic Journey of Jim Gordon tells how one of rock's greatest drummers became one of the most tragic figures in music history.  Gordon, early-on a member of the fabled Wrecking Crew of studio greats went on to compile one of the most impressive resumes in rock, playing with Eric Clapton, George Harrison, John Lennon,  Ringo Starr, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker, Tom Petty, Dave Mason, Harry Nilsson, Frank Zappa and many, many more before descending into a schizoprenic madness that became so debilitating that it derailed his career and drove him to commit the unthinkable crime of murdering his own mother.  His conviction for the 1983 murder landed Gordon in prision on a 16 years to life sentence.  He was denied parole several times during his incarceration and died in a California's Vacaville Prison at 77 in March of 2023.

A Texas concert by Foghat recorded the year before Dave Peverett died will soon be available on CD and DVD.  The 10 track 1999 concert release titled Foghat Slow Ride - Live In Concert the band did gets released on April 5th.