Pulse Music

In was 44 years ago today (October 3rd, 1978) that Paul McCartney assembled Rockestra -- the largest group of rock legends to record together up to that date. The cream of the rock elite joined Wings to record two tracks for their upcoming Back To The Egg album that day at London's Abbey Road Studios for the instrumental "Rockestra Theme" and "So Glad To See You Here." Rockestra consisted of the Who's Pete Townshend and Kenney Jones, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Procol Harum's Gary Brooker, the Faces' Ronnie Lane, the Attractions' Bruce Thomas, and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and John Bonham, among others.

Among those invited that couldn't make the session were Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page -- who never showed despite his amplifier making the session. Keith Moon had been asked to participate but had died less than a month before.

Despite "Rockestra Theme" being a guitar-based riff, Wings guitarist Laurence Juber recalled that McCartney often had guitarists shy away from their more obvious blues-inspired lead work while in Wings: "Where Paul wouldn't really go was into that kind of extended bluesy lead guitar solo. Now he'll go there more readily as part of the stage show; but then -- I won't say that it was an area not to go, but it was an area to maybe hint at. Y'know, so I needed to be inventive. And he drove me to be inventive."

Paul McCartney explained that despite rock becoming more compartmentalized in the 1970's, variety was still the key element to his music: "Y'know, I'm not kind of into that, 'this is what I do -- one specific kind of thing.' Sometimes I sort of think, 'Well, maybe I should kind of get it all together into one kind of music form, so we come on and play one kind of thing.' But I'm not like -- that's not me, y'know? It never ends up like that with me. It always ends up a touch of this, a touch of that, 'touch of that, c'mon, let's have a laugh, get y'hands together, and we'll have a touch of that."

The day after the supergroup session, McCartney, wife Linda McCartney, and Wings co-founder Denny Laine returned to Abbey Road to fine tune the tracks and add vocals to "So Glad To See You Here."

Rockestra performed together only once, when most of the players regrouped on December 29th, 1979 at the closing night of The Concerts For The People Of Kampuchea benefit at London's Hammersmith Odeon. The group joined Wings at the end of their set and performed Little Richard's "Lucille," "Let It Be," and two versions of "Rockestra Theme."

"Rockestra Theme" went on to earn McCartney the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

Russell Dickerson announced over the weekend that he's all set to release his third studio album on November 4. The self-titled collection will contain 15 new tracks.

Russell says these song may not be what his fans have come to expect from him, but through them, he's expressing a different side of himself.

He stated in press release: "I'm still the hyper, outgoing, fun-loving, crazy dude on stage. But also these songs are so meaningful to me. It's not all hype and smoke and lights." I am a songwriter, I trust my instincts, and now my instincts are telling me to share 100-percent me, and creatively just let it flow."

He co-wrote and co-produced all 15 tracks.

Following a health episode that caused cancelation of two shows, Post Malone returned to the stage for a full concert in Cleveland on Tuesday night (9-27).

After taking a bad fall at one concert, the next one was canceled due to stabbing pains and breathing problems.

Malone showed no ill effects in Ohio and told the audience all about what he went through. He said after a couple of days of rest and "some stuff" to help out, he was ready to "F***ing kick some A**."

Not only did he bounce back strong, but he also paid tribute to NBA star Darius Garland, by wearing a replica jersey of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

TL;DR:

• Post Malone returned to the stage for a full concert in Cleveland on Tuesday night (9-27).
• Malone showed no ill effects in Ohio and told the audience all about what he went through.
• He said he was ready to "F***ing kick some A**."

Tuesday night's (September 27th) star-studded Taylor Hawkins tribute at L.A.'s Kia Forum once again featured the late-drummer's heroes, friends, and fans performing the songs by the artists that meant the most to him. Loudwire posted the night's setlist and, like the previous Wembley Stadium show, the amount of sheer talent gracing the stage alongside Dave Grohl and his Foo Fighters bandmates was fitting for one of rock's most beloved modern drummers.

With Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters acting as the night's house band, the show featured performances by Rush, the Police's Stewart Copeland, Queen, Taylor Hawkins' son Shane Hawkins, Dave Grohl's daughter Violet Grohl, Joan Jett with Blink 182's Travis Barker, the Darkness' Justin Taylor, Red Hot Chili Pepper's Chad Smith, Kesha, Level 42's Mark King, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, Yes' Jon Davison, Alanis Morissette, Nirvana's Krist Novoselic, Wolfgang Van Halen, the Cars' Elliot Easton, former-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler, Metallica's Lars Ulrich, Miley Cyrus, Heart's Nancy Wilson, Pink, Joe Walsh reunited with the James Gang, Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee, Mark Ronson, Them Crooked Vultures, Taylor Momsen, actor Jack Black, comedian Dave Chapelle and more.

A while back we spoke with the late, great Taylor Hawkins and he remained awestruck at how many musical doors had been opened over the years for the group's members: "We call it the 'Foo Fighters Rock N' Roll Fantasy Camp,' 'cause after Dave has been doing the thing with John Paul Jones, and I've done things with Queen, got to do a Dennis Wilson thing, got to jam with (Yes bassist) Chris Squire, Rush, it's like we just get to all kind of all fulfill a lot of our sort of rock n' roll fantasies playing with these people, y'know? And it's really amazing and really cool." |

Rapper Coolio has reportedly died. He was 59. According to TMZ, the Coolio's manager Jarez said that the rapper was visiting a friend yesterday afternoon (September 28th) and he went into the bathroom. But when he didn't come out after a while, his friend kept calling out for him. The friend eventually went into the bathroom and found Coolio laying on the floor. The friend called EMTs, who arrived and pronounced Coolio dead on the scene. Jarez said that the paramedics suspect that he suffered cardiac arrest. The official cause of death has not been determined.

Law enforcement sources say that no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene. An autopsy and toxicology test will be used to determine an official cause of death. The police are investigating Coolio's death but as of now there does not appear to any signs of foul play.

Coolio, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. is known for his 1995 #1 hit "Gangsta's Paradise" from the soundtrack of Dangerous Minds, "Fantastic Voyage," "1,2,3,4 (Sumpin' New) and "It's All The Way Live Now."

Sammy Hagar admits that he still regrets that a final all-inclusive Van Halen tour with all its past and former members never took place. Hagar and the Circle drop their latest album, Crazy Times, tomorrow (September 30th), and the "Red Rocker" appears in conversation tonight (September 29th) for a career-spanning chat at the Clive Davis Theater at L.A.'s Grammy Museum.

Regarding the "kitchen sink" tour that never was due to Eddie Van Halen's 2020 death, Hagar told Rolling Stone, " What a shame, huh? I mean, honestly, the shame is that Eddie Van Halen's no longer with us. That's the shame. But if we would've done that. . . All the damage that I did with my book, the damage Ed did with his actions and his stuff he did in public, and the (Gary) Cherone shenanigans, and the (David Lee) Roth reunions, my reunion. . . That would've righted everything, if we would have did that tour. That would have righted everything, and I wanted that so bad. Just to all of us to go, 'We're clean again. We're angels. We're spotless.'"

He went on to say, "I just think it's crazy to do anything that's called Van Halen without Eddie. I would love it if Dave wanted to do a tribute where he'd sing ten of his songs, and then I'd come out and do ten of mine. That would be great with Alex (Van Halen) and Mike (Anthony) and maybe a bunch of different guitar players. Look at what Dave (Grohl) just did for Taylor (Hawkins). That's one of the greatest events in rock history. That's right up there with the early Farm Aids, and right up there with Live Aid. That was a great event, and that could be done for Ed with everybody playing."

As to what form a tribute to Eddie Van Halen could take, Hagar said, "I'm thinking of one-off weekend or something where we give the money away to some cause. It can't just be, 'Hey, we're going to grab some money.' I got plenty of money. There's nothing that I would do for money that I just wasn't in love with the idea of doing. And I'm not in love with the idea of being Van Halen without Eddie Van Halen. 'Matter of fact, I'm dead against it. But I would love to play music with Alex and Mike again. I would love to play those songs again. And if we did a residency or a tribute, I would sing 50/50. I would sing half the Dave songs too for the Van Halen fans. And those songs are great. I don't mind singing some of them."

Regarding some type of tribute for Eddie Van Halen, Hagar said: "I think it's necessary."

Sammy Hagar has been on both sides of the frontman game -- replacing David Lee Roth in Van Halen -- along with Extreme's Gary Cherone replacing him in 1996. Hagar told us a while back he sympathized with Cherone accepting what he probably thought was the gig of a lifetime -- only to see it go down in flames: "To me, it was inevitable. It didn't work. Everybody knows it didn't work. The album was a stiff and the tour didn't do well -- it was just was bad chemistry. Y'know, that coulda happened when I joined the band -- but it didn't because we made a great record. And my career was in a place with 'I Can't Drive 55,' y'know, I was equal to Van Halen at that time, so, it was a lot easier for the fans to accept that; and even then, it wasn't totally accepted immediately. Y'know, we had to work hard. It's a bummer for Gary because it'll probably ruin his whole damn career. Y'know, the guy's a decent singer, but what's he going to do now? 'Hey, he's the guy that bombed with Van Halen. (Laughs) Y'know, he's the guy that. . .' Y'know, that's not a good handle to have."

It was 45 years ago today (September 29th, 1977) that Billy Joel released his breakthrough fifth album, 1977's The Stranger. The album didn't enter the Top 10 until nearly four months after its release, finally appearing on January 21st, 1978 when it took a four-spot jump to enter at Number 10 under The Grand Illusion by Styx. The Stranger hit Number Two on February 18th, 1978 -- blocked from the top spot by the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever -- and remained stalled at Number Two for six straight weeks.

The Stranger stayed in the Billboard Top 10 for a total of 17 weeks and marked Billy's first collaboration with the legendary Phil Ramone, who went on to produce the next six Billy Joel albums -- 1978's 52nd Street, 1980's Glass Houses, 1981's Songs In The Attic, 1982's The Nylon Curtain, 1983's An Innocent Man, and 1986's The Bridge. To date, The Stranger remains Billy Joel's biggest selling original album, having earned "Diamond" status for sales of over 10 million units.

The album spawned four Top 40 hits -- "Movin Out" (Anthony's Song)" - Number 17; "Only The Good Die Young" - Number 24; "She's Always A Woman" - Number 17; and the Top Three era-defining evergreen "Just The Way You Are," which scored Billy both the 1978 Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year Grammy Awards -- along with countless cover versions, worldwide acclaim -- not the least of which included Frank Sinatra permanently adding it to his concert setlists and Billy's hero Paul McCartney going on record as saying it was among the songs he wished he had written.

Billy Joel's recent Madison Square Garden residency has featured deep-cut rarities from across his career. In addition to that, Billy hasn't shied away from the hits -- including his 1977 classic, "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)." Billy recalled the genesis behind the crowd favorite: "Well, it's the old thing, 'Ay, if you work hard, y'know, you get a house in the suburbs and you get a nice car. . .' I always -- I grew up in the suburbs. I always wanted to get back to the city, exactly where my parents couldn't wait to move out of the city; y'know, the kid couldn't wait to move back in, because the city was always magic. And especially there's an area in New York and people. . . it's called Little Italy. And they've got great restaurants, and there's guys walking around with guitars (sings in Italian) -- and people (go) 'Wow!' -- with mobsters drivin' around in limos, and just a great area."

We asked Billy why he decided to add "Anthony's Song" as a parenthetical to the title of "Movin' Out" -- something he hadn't done before: "I don't know why I subtitled it. At the time, I just pictured some lady just yelling out of her house -- 'Anthony! Anthony!' -- and the character that starts in the first verse is named Anthony, so, I thought it was a good theme for Anthony -- but the title is 'Movin' Out.'"

One of the tracks from The Stranger that has taken on a life of its own as the decades progressed is the sleeper ballad, "Vienna." Billy Joel explained the inspiration of the song came from reconnecting in his 20's with his absentee father, who returned to his native Austria when Billy was eight-years-old: "Vienna was always a crossroads city (in Europe). So, I go to visit my father in Vienna and I'm walking around in this town and I see this old lady -- she must've been about 90-years-old and she's sweepin' the street. And I say to my father, 'What's this nice old lady sweepin' the street?' He says, 'She's got a job, she feels useful, she's happy, she's making the street clean, she's not put out to pasture. . .' And, I thought this is a terrific idea that old people are useful and that means that I don't have to worry so much about gettin' old, because I can still have a use in this world, in my old age. And I thought: 'Vienna waits for you.'" SOUNDCUE

Billy Joel drew upon his high school years in Levittown, New York for "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" -- rated among his best by die-hards. He explained the song's genesis during his appearance on Inside The Actors Studio: "That song started out, the middle part was called 'The Ballad Of Brenda And Eddie.' The thing I was trying to get across, and I'm sure we all know, there were people who peaked a little too early in life. When we were in high school, there were the people we thought were so cool -- I thought, 'Man, I wish I was that guy!' With a perfect pompadour, he always had great clothes, he always had the coolest shoes, he always went out with the coolest girl. And then I saw him at the 10-year reunion, and this guy was like a caved-in ashtray. In high school, it was so important to be with the right crowd -- in my era, maybe it's the same in this era, I'm assuming there's a certain amount of this that still goes on. But they were my heroes, these people. But then I said -- 'that's not enough.'"

Billy Joel actually turned down Beatles producer George Martin, who was interested in producing The Stranger -- but only if Billy ditched his touring band to record with Martin-approved session players. Billy told us that the success of 1977's The Stranger could only have been realized by the late-producer Phil Ramone who allowed him, drummer Liberty DeVitto, late-bassist Doug Stegmeyer, and saxophonist/keyboardist Richie Cannata to tackle the work at hand: "I was working with a group of musicians that nobody wanted to work with, they were just 'road guys.' So I said, 'No, I want my band.' Phil got it right off the bat. He said, 'I want these guys to play on your record.' He encouraged them and they blossomed, and the result was The Stranger album. So, he knew."

The Stranger was the first of Billy's seven albums produced by Phil Ramone. We caught up with Ramone just prior to his 2013 death and he credited the strength of the songs and the backing band for the success of the album: "Some of the things that had been said about him prior to that, early, y'know, Elton John-ish, folky -- all the words that he hated. I think what we did in The Stranger was to obliterate it by making this become a band record. Billy Joel's band was very much a part of what made that record. They collectively made arrangements up."

Despite several unsuccessful relationships, Billy Joel has written some of his most important love songs about his wives. First wife Elizabeth Weber inspired such classics as "She's Got A Way," "Summer Highland Falls," "You're My Home," and The Stranger classics "Just The Way You Are," and "She's Always A Woman" -- which he feels is a love song with a definite message: "I was being managed by a woman, my wife, and she was taking a lot of flack. When a guy was being successful in business, he was ballsy, he was aggressive, he was, y'know, a tough businessman and a tough negotiator. If a woman was doing that at the time she was a bitch, she was castrating, she was accused of all kind of things. And what I wanted to say with that song was you can call her whatever you want, but she's a woman to me. . . she's always a woman to me. Y'know, just because she's doing well in your particular line of work doesn't make her any less feminine to me."

Phil Ramone explained that even after his suggestion of rearranging the beat of the song -- not to mention enlisting jazz great Phil Woods to play the signature solo on "Just The Way You Are" -- Billy still couldn't hear a hit: "Songs like 'Just The Way You Are' had to go under such a metamorphosis. And then in desperation, he said 'OK, I'll try it.' We knew at the end of the day -- he said, 'Jesus, this could be a wedding song. What am I supposed to do with that?' And of course I tease him now, I say, 'I hear the wedding song is doing OK.' And when he first went on the road with that song nothing happened. People didn't applaud. It kind of dribbled down at the end. He took it out of his set for a long, long time."

We asked Phil Ramone about his incredible -- almost familial -- connection with Billy Joel: "I never let him off the hook if there was something that could be better. Y'know, he trusted the hell outta me -- by expressing myself. The band had it's own craziness and the way they spoke, but we, we really spoke. We spent time after the gig. And then I wouldn't hear from him for months. (I'd) suddenly get a call, just: 'Billy.' I said, 'Yeah, I've heard of you, whaddya want?' (laughs). Y'know, you get a relationship going."

Liberty DeVitto, who drummed on every Billy Joel studio album from 1976's Turnstiles to 1993's River Of Dreams, told us the only constant when recording with Billy Joel was that he never stayed in the same creative space for too long: "Billy changes things -- every album, he changed something. Whether it be the style of music that he's writing, or whatever it is. You go from The Stranger to 52nd Street -- more jazzy, to Glass Houses, which was just total rock, just the band, 'tip of the hat to the Beatles -- (The) Nylon Curtain, Innocent Man -- oldies."

Billy Joel recalled how singing honestly about his upbringing helped him score one of his most beloved and enduring hits in "Only The Good Die Young": "Yeah, we got some interesting mail on that particular song. The song came out as a single and it might not have gotten the attention it got, but it got banned on a few stations. I think banning it made some people go, 'Oh, what are they banning? Lemme hear what they're banning. I wanna decide if I wanna ban it.' And part of that controversy, I think, contributed to being a hit record."

In 2008, Billy Joel released The Stranger 30th Anniversary collection. The Sony Legacy Edition was remastered by Phil Ramone and features the original album, along with a previously unreleased Billy Joel concert taped at New York's Carnegie Hall on June 3rd, 1977, just prior to the sessions for The Stranger.

The deluxe edition features three discs: The Stranger remastered; Live At Carnegie Hall 1977; a bonus DVD containing a performance on the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test, two live promotional videos, and a 48-page booklet including previously unseen photos from the original album photo shoot.

In an excerpt from this year's Time 100 issue, Avril Lavigne praised the music evolution of Machine Gun Kelly.

When asked about some of her favorite musicians, she talked about Kelly and said he has grown in the "most authentic way." She explained how he started as a rapper and evolved into one of the biggest rock stars in the world.

She said, "I have a lot of respect for him and how thoughtful he is with his craft. When he's performing, you can't help but love him even more because he puts on such a good show."

Earlier this year, Kelly appeared on Lavigne's seventh studio album, Love Sux, on a song called "Bois Lie." Lavigne also joined him on his Mainstream Sellout tour this past summer.

TL;DR:

• Avril Lavigne praised the music evolution of Machine Gun Kelly.
• She said, "I have a lot of respect for him and how thoughtful he is with his craft. When he's performing, you can't help but love him even more because he puts on such a good show."

Cardi B is wide open with her fans and this week she told them that she has lost a lot of money in the past because of her own "stupid decisions."

She posted online and explained that she left a multi-million dollar deal for Call of Duty on the table. The reason she gave was because of court.

She went on to advise, "Think twice about those quick decisions! Lesson learned."

Call of Duty is currently the world's best-selling video game franchise.

It apparently all worked out in the end. Her current cash flow enabled her to donate $100,000 last week to her old middle school in the Bronx.

TL;DR:

• Cardi B has lost a lot of money in the past because of her own "stupid decisions."
• She posted online and explained that she left a multi-million dollar deal for Call of Duty on the table.
• Call of Duty is currently the world's best-selling video game franchise.

Hayley Williams posted online to thank fans ahead of the release of Paramore's new single titled, "This Is Why."

It's been over five years since the band's last album release and she expressed appreciation of their "unwavering support" despite their absence.

According to Williams, it was crucial for her and fellow bandmates Taylor York and Zac Farro to take a step back from the spotlight. She revealed that during their time away, she regained the opportunity to do simple activities such as keeping doctor's appointments, relaxing at home, and spending more time with friends and family.

She wrote, "We're just picking up where we left off. For so many reasons I don't even have words for, I think we are about to experience our happiest, most fulfilling moments as Paramore."

The new single "This Is Why" is the first song from their next album. It will be released on September 28.

TL;DR:

• Hayley Williams thanked fans ahead of the release of Paramore's new single titled, "This Is Why."
• It's been over five years since the band's last album release and she thanked them for their "unwavering support" despite their absence.
• The new single "This Is Why" is the first song from the band's long awaited, sixth studio album that will be released on Sept. 28.

Coming on November 25th is David Bowie's Divine Symmetry, a newly compiled a four-CD, one Blu-ray box set celebrating "the 12 months leading up to the release of the album Hunky Dory in December 1971 via home demos, BBC radio sessions, and live and studio recordings." The collection contains 48 previously unreleased tracks/demos and new alternative mixes of Hunky Dory tracks by original co-producer Ken Scott.

The package features two new books -- a 100-page hardback featuring exclusive memorabilia and photos, alongside a 60-page replica composite of Bowie's notebooks from the era featuring handwritten lyrics, costume drawings, recording notes, and set lists.

During a 1973 chat with the BBC, David Bowie looked back to his pre-glam period, which was based far more in straight on androgyny than his then-Glam-based fashions: "Long hair quickly got dissipated. I mean, I used to be able to stop traffic quite easily by just walking down the street. . . Just 'cause I had long hair. I'm very much a character when I go onstage, I feel. I believe in my part all the way down the line. But, I do play it for all it's worth."

Art Garfunkel is set for a brief East Coast run next month. The legendary singer will take in stops in Reading and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania along with shows in Red Bank and Englewood, New Jersey.

Garfunkel's concerts, which feature an even split between solo favorites and Simon & Garfunkel classics, are low-key events, with Garfunkel performing with only an acoustic guitarist and a keyboardist. Garfunkel told us that as his recording career slowed down, the road began to mean much more to him: "Stage work became more and more fun. Knockin' them out was knockin' me out more and more. So what I get out of it is when you put a nice voice into the microphone, and the microphone gives you the broadcasting and the echoing that resounds in the house -- I have the fun of being an artist/vocalist. Y'know, I'm not a guitar player. There are so many singer-songwriters. I'm a vocalist. I shape the notes and have a lot of fun trying to be beautiful. Audiences. . . I make 'em happy."

Art Garfunkel tour dates (subject to change):

October 14 - Reading, PA - Santander Performing Arts Center
October 15 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
October 21 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Center for the Arts
October 22 - Englewood, NJ - Bergen Performing Arts Center
April 14, 2023 - Wabash, IN - Honeywell Arts & Entertainment

Legendary rock n' roller Jerry Lee Lewis celebrates his 87th birthday today (September 29th)!!! "The Killer," as Jerry Lee was nicknamed in high school, came of age as part of the legendary Sun Records roster in the 1950's, alongside Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins. Although he grew up with similar influences as his labelmates, his music had a much harder edge -- his acrobatic piano playing, much like his personality, was rowdy and dangerous.

Next month will see "The Killer" finally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

With the 2021 death of the-late Don Everly, Jerry Lewis stands as the sole-surviving rock n' roll pioneer, having outlived Don's brother Phil Everly, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, and "The King" -- Elvis Presley.

In February 2020, Lewis suffered a minor stroke, forcing the legend to postpone a string of dates. Back in October 2009, Jerry Lee Lewis opened both the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 25th Anniversary Concerts at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

In 2013 it was reported that producer T-Bone Burnett was working with "The Killer," on an album that was to be released in conjunction with the HarperCollins publication of Lewis' recently published memoir -- Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story -- as told to Pulitzer-Prize winning author Rick Bragg. So far, no release date for the album has been announced.

In 2009 Jerry Lee enlisted some of rock's greatest icons -- and his own biggest fans -- to contribute to his most recent album, Mean Old Man. Among the heavyweights appearing on the set are Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, John Fogerty, Mavis Staples, Slash, Tim McGraw, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Solomon Burke, among others -- many of whom appeared on Lewis' 2006 set, Last Man Standing.

Highlights on Mean Old Man include Jagger on the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers favorite "Dead Flowers," Jagger and Richards teaming up on a rendition of the Stones' Exile On Main Street classic "Sweet Virginia," Ron Wood on the Kris Kristofferson-written title track, Eric Clapton and James Burton playing guitars on "You Can Have Her," Ringo Starr and John Mayer joining in on "Roll Over Beethoven," and Kid Rock and Slash appearing on "Rockin' My Life Away," Sheryl Crow and Jon Brion teaming up on "You Are My Sunshine," and John Fogerty appearing on a new recording of his Creedence Clearwater Revival standard "Bad Moon Rising."

John Fogerty told us that getting to know "The Killer" was very different from some of his other idols: "Jerry Lee Lewis is a little more . . . um . . . distant, I guess you would say. You just feel like you're walking on eggshells a little bit. So you . . . you're very careful. Which I was, anyway."

Jerry Lee was asked whom, out of all the rockers on his recent albums, he enjoyed playing with the most: "That would be hard to say, I couldn't pick one. I enjoyed doin' it with all the boys and it was fun with each and every one of them. From Bruce (Springsteen) on down to Jimmy Page, you name 'em."

Jerry Lee saw only three songs hit the Top Ten during his career. Though his debut single, "Crazy Arms," didn't cause much of a stir, 1957's "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" was the record that broke through for Lewis. The song first sold 100,000 copies in the South, and then an appearance on The Steve Allen Show catapulted its sales to six million nationally.

"Great Balls Of Fire" was another 1957 hit for him, and sold more than five million copies. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" and "Great Balls Of Fire" were simultaneously in the Top Five of the pop, country, and R&B charts.

In 1958, Jerry Lee saw a third record hit the Top Ten as "Breathless" became a Number Seven hit.

Unfortunately for his career, he was the subject of popular scandal, too. The fact that he married his 13-year-old cousin in 1957 cost him the respect of many fans, and forced him to cancel a UK concert because the fans were so outraged.

Since then, he's remarried several times and endured well-documented battles with the I.R.S., drugs, and health problems.

Jerry Lee Lewis told us that he has one last project to cross off his buck list, an all new collection of gospel recordings: "I wanna do an gospel album next. Not a lot of the new-type stuff, but a lot of the old-type stuff. The old gospel (that) we sing. I was raised in the church and I play songs. . . a lot, and that has a big bearing on it."

Jerry Lee Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in its first year, 1986. He has been a major influence on a number of performers, including Bruce Springsteen, who backed him up at the Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, as well as John Mellencamp, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Elton John, and Billy Joel, among others.

In 1989 Dennis Quaid starred as Jerry Lee in the heavily whitewashed biopic, Great Balls Of Fire.

Elton John and Britney Spears released the music video for their "Hold Me Closer" collaboration Tuesday (September 27th).

Neither artist appears in the visual, but the Tanu Muino-directed video features dancers performing in Mexico City.

John wrote on Instagram that the clip "beautifully captures an immeasurable feeling of intimacy so missing from the world through the turmoil and chaos of recent times."

Fans were not happy to see that Spears was not featured in the video. One commenter on John's Instagram post wrote, "Yup! As we expected: no Britney. Rather boring." Another added, "No Britney = fail. What's the point?"

Maroon 5 is not letting Adam Levine's cheating scandal stop them from work.

A week after the band's front man denied cheating on his pregnant wife, the Grammy-winning group has been booked to headline a Las Vegas residency next year

The Park MGM announced Tuesday (September 27th) that Maroon 5 will perform 16 shows at their Dolby Live theater from March 24th, 2023, through August 12th 2023. Tickets go on sale Monday, October 3rd.

Set for release on November 18th is the Beach Boys' latest era encompassing box set, titled, Sail On Sailor - 1972. The package follows last year's critically acclaimed Feel Flows collection and will be available as a six-CD Super Deluxe Edition along with a five-LP, seven-inch EP vinyl box set. The box includes a 12.5-inch-by-10-inch hardback book featuring liner notes and rare and previously-unseen photos.

The five-LP set includes a reproduction of the original Holland promotional book telling the story of the making of the album and four collectable lithographs. Sail On Sailor - 1972 will also be available digitally and in abbreviated vinyl and CD versions.

The collection includes remastered versions of the band's 1972 album, Carl And The Passions - "So Tough" and the following year's Holland. In addition to co-founders Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine, the albums featured the group's then-latest recruits -- South African musicians Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar. The pair, along with their band the Flame, had been signed to the Beach Boys' Brother Records imprint.

Sail On Sailor features newly remixed outtakes and alternate versions from both albums' sessions -- including the legendary "holy grail" audio moment featuring the 1971 cassette recording of Brian Wilson composing "Sail On Sailor."

Among the many draws to the set is the first official release of the Beach Boys' November 23rd, 1972 Carnegie Hall concert featuring all the songs the band tackled over the two shows performed that Thanksgiving in Manhattan.

David Leaf, the author of the just-updated, critically acclaimed biography, God Only Knows: The Story Of Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys And The California Myth, shed light on where the Beach Boys and their fans found themselves in 1972: "We've had two great albums in a row. (1970's) Sunflower, which was probably the best Beach Boys album of the past 50-something years, followed by (1971's) Surf's Up, which is a terrific record -- but it suffered from the absence of Dennis Wilson. So Dennis returns for Carl & The Passions, Brian has a role with two great new songs -- 'Marcella' and 'You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone.' Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fattar, who are now official Beach Boys, each contribute songs recorded at a different studio. There's a loving piece ('All This Is That') from Al, Carl, and Mike with great vocals. But the genuine surprise of 1972 is that there are two epic songs from Dennis Wilson. Ending the album with 'Cuddle Up' is just, just spectacular."

In 1971, legendary Beach Boys photographer Ed Roach had been in Brian Wilson's home studio the day before recording a band he was producing from back home in Brooklyn. He popped by the next day and eavesdropped on history in the making: "When I got to Bellagio (Road), I buzzed the gate, and (Brian's then-wife) Marilyn (Wilson) buzzed me right in. And I could hear right away that Brian was in the studio workin'. And he was in there composing 'Sail On Sailor' with Van Dyke Parks. And I sat down. I sat down on the curb outside the studio, and honestly, I lit up a joint, I sat there -- and, gosh -- at least a half-an-hour, or 45 minutes, or so, I just sat there on the curb right outside Bellagio listening to him and Van Dyke work. While I sat there listening, obviously, what appears on that demo is what I was listening to Van and Brian record that day."

Beach Boys producer and archivist Alan Boyd explained how in 1972, then-manager Jack Rieley chose the shake up the band and its Bel Air-based recording operations in order to move the group in a new direction by transplanting them to Holland: "Jack Rieley had this idea -- if he could get all the Beach Boys together in unfamiliar, neutral territory, someplace completely different than any place they've ever experienced before, it might foster a sense of group unity and help them create an album that was really an album. As opposed to a collection of whatever songs they happened to have finished (laughs) in time for a deadline -- which is basically what Carl & The Passions was. So, he came up with this incredibly ambitious idea to move the whole group to Europe."

Beach Boys creative consultant and writer Howie Edelson touched upon the band's historic November 1972 Carnegie Hall performances, which are featured for the first time on the new box set: "The Beach Boys' Carnegie Hall shows have always represented a vindication or return to form for the group's legacy. There's no way you can listen to their performances from Thanksgiving night '72 and not be stunned by how incredibly hot and smart this ensemble was. I mean, no other veteran band that was left for dead commercially was able to capture the imagination of not only a whole new audience -- but lure their original long gone fans back. The Beach Boys -- especially in this era -- were really an unstoppable force with creativity just bouncing and sparking off them like mad."

We asked bandmember Blondie Chaplin what Beach Boys fans made of him and Ricky Fataar not only joining the band onstage and contributing to their albums -- but becoming the band's final official members: "In hindsight I thought they -- yeah, they didn't mind, for some reason. Y'know, I mean, it's 'Beach Boy,' but, Ricky -- he was 21, I was 20. They seemed to like it, but it was that limited amount of time. I don't know, I think people seemed to think it's okay that these two guys from apartheid-ville were hanging out."

Beach Boys producer and engineer Mark Linett offered up a peak into how the group's massive archives are handled in preparation for reissues and expanded projects such as Sail On Sailor: "We have been slowly digitally archiving all the tapes in the Beach Boys' archives to high-resolution, digital, Pro Tools session. This makes it possible to instantly retrieve anything we've transferred, which is probably about 95 percent of what's there. And as far as these big projects, it means that we already have a very good idea of what's there. We don't have to go pull out a 10-foot-high pile of tapes and do a bunch of transfers."

Will Rihanna perform with a guest at the Super Bowl? According to TMZ, the singer and her creative team are working hard, planning her Halftime Show performance and figuring out whether or not she will be joined by special guests. Rihanna's team has nearly 50 possible names of artists that could hit the stage with her.

Sources say that anyone RiRi collaborated with in the past may possibly appear, including Jay-Z, Kanye West, Paul McCartney, Calvin Harris, Pharrell, Drake and more.

No final decisions have been made on who may join Rihanna, but she will have the final say. There is also a chance that she may do her entire performance solo.

In other news, the singer and her boyfriend were spotted hitting a recording studio on Monday night (September 26th).

David Crosby took time out to talk about the Beatles' 1966 classic Revolver, which is set for a deluxe reissue on October 28th. Crosby, who along with fellow Byrds-bandmate Roger McGuinn, had struck up a close relationship with the "Fab Four" back in 1965, spoke about the album, telling Mojo: "Name any song on Revolver and I'll go, 'Yeah, that's amazing.' 'Eleanor Rigby'; nobody else was writing about those kinds of invisible people, so beautiful, heartfelt and kind -- and such a great song. 'Tomorrow Never Knows' was beautiful, too, especially the words, but then the words on all of Revolver evolved upwards. There was a stong anti-establishment flavor, too -- and 'Taxman' was one of the reasons; you can tell they're pissed."

He went on to say, "'Got To Get You Into My Life' was an amazing piece of construction using all the tools: the brass, the choruses, everything. Even ''Yellow Submarine,' it was warm and fuzzy, like a dog toy to be played with, it made the Beatles human and open, and it made you love Ringo (Starr) right away. . . I know the other Byrds, especially Roger, were thrilled by Revolver: anyone with a brain would have been."

Croz went on to shed light on the personal relationship between him and the band: "The Byrds and the Beatles had taken LSD together, playing music and laying around in the sun in the Hollywood Hills, but the starling part was the chemistry between people rather than the drugs. John (Lennon) was more difficult, Paul (McCartney) was more distant, but George (Harrison) was more friendly and undefended."

When we last caught up with David Crosby, we asked him about how back in the Byrds' mid-'60s heyday, the Beatles treated him and Roger McGuinn on as personal confidantes and musical peers: "They were extremely bright cats; not, y'know, reserved intellectuals from expensive schools -- these were kids off the street who had smarts. Real smarts. And a tremendous amount of talent. And hangin' out with them, y'know, it was difficult, because there was such an intense sphere of people. . . y'know, a lotta pressure. It was very difficult for them to get five minutes to themselves. The time that I did spend with them, we spent very privately and doing ordinary things. Playin' guitar, laying out by the pool, talkin,' playing music for each other that we had recorded. Y'know, stuff that was all the more precious because it wasn't a big deal. I loved showin' John Lennon a chord he hadn't seen before. Good cats. And they were very nice to us. Drove us home from gigs, invited us over for dinner, came to our shows. They were as nice as they could be."

John Mellencamp fans take note -- the man himself will be on hand tomorrow (September 29th) at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for "John Mellencamp Fan Day."

The Legends Of Rock: John Mellencamp exhibit features induction footage from the Rock Hall vault, a career defining Mellencamp playlist played throughout the Museum, with Mellencamp playing a special performance set to air live on iHeartMedia stations where he'll be talking about the Rock Hall exhibit and making a tour announcement.

With well over 45 years in business, we asked John Mellencamp how he sees himself and the state of his career in the present day: "Fortunate -- but unlucky. Unlucky enough to be a rock star. Y'know, you turn on the radio and you hear 'Pink Houses' for the 9,000th time, and you assume that's all that John Mellencamp does. Led Zeppelin was a lot more than 'Stairway To Heaven,' but, y'know, that's what you hear. Y'know, it's not just me -- y'know, the Rolling Stones are always more than 'Honky Tonk Women.' Bob Seger was always more than, y'know, 'Night Moves,' but sorry -- that's all you hear all the time. Of course you and I know that rock is over. We've had our 40 years. And so now, it's just total freedom to me. I don't have to listen to anybody (laughs), I don't do -- y'know, do exactly what I wanna do."

Shakira will stand trial for tax fraud in Spain.

On Tuesday (September 27th), a judge ruled that the pop star will be tried for allegedly failing to pay $13.9 million in taxes on income that she earned between 2012 and 2014.

The New York Post reports that prosecutors seek and eight years prison sentence and a stiff fine for the "Hips Don't Lie" singer.

The 45-year-old performer claims she only lived in Spain less than half of the time during the two-year period and her public relations firm says she has already paid all of the taxes that she owed plus interest.

Billy Corgan didn't mince words about how the music business does not produce happy people. Loudwire transcribed some of his chat on WFAN's Boomer & Geo show, in which he explained, "I don't know if you can be happy in the music business because the music business is sort of designed to mess with your head. I think the music business in particular has been very late to the game with mental health and artists."

The Smashing Pumpkins leader went on to say, "We lost Jimi Hendrix at 27 years old to addiction and think of all the music that Jimi Hendrix didn't make. We're still talking about Jimi Hendrix 54 or 55 years after his death. I get lost in there because it's so sad to me. Think of all the people my generation has lost just to addiction and suicide alone. It is a travesty that there wasn't more support systems around those artists. I don't mean to throw shade at anybody. I just know how the business works. It's one of exploitation."

Corgan went on to talk about how he feels lucky to remain one of rock's survivors: "I feel blessed, so that's the start of every sentence. I would just like people to say he made it through, and if that inspired them to try harder, great. I'm not trying to be that role model, but I don't want to be on the other end of the casualty list."

Back in 1996 when inducting Pink Floyd into the Rock Hall, Billy Corgan spoke about Syd Barrett -- one of rock's first fallen heroes and permanent victims of the drug culture: "The very root of Pink Floyd surrounds the genesis with Syd Barrett -- and as we all know, we're consistently amazed in rock n' roll with tragedy and beauty, and Syd was both. His original artistic vision that's expressed on the first Pink Floyd record really defined what this band still continues to be -- an exploration into the outer terrains of whatever it is that makes music happen."

Smashing Pumpkins and Jane's Addiction kick off their joint North American tour on October 2nd at Dallas' American Airlines Center.

A new four-part docuseries about producer Phil Spector and the 2003 murder of Lana Clarkson will hit Showtime in early-November. The docuseries, titled Spector, will "largely center" on the night of February 3rd, 2003 when Spector murdered Clarkson. It will air first on Showtime's on-demand platforms on November 4th before airing widely on the network two days later.

Rolling Stone reported, "(Spector) will strike a balance between true crime and music doc, digging into the events surrounding Clarkson's murder, the subsequent trial and media circus, as well as Spector's singular musical career and history of paranoia, anger, and violence. The film will also explore Clarkson's life, her decades of regular work in Hollywood, and the difficult place her career had reached by the time of her fatal meeting with Spector."

Phil Spector, who was renowned for his famed "Wall of Sound" record productions of the early-'60s died on January 16th, 2021 of reportedly Covid-related issues at Stockton's California Health Care Facility, California State Prison. Spector had been serving a 19-year sentence for a 2009 murder conviction of killing Clarkson in his Los Angeles home.

In 2007 a video of Phil Spector appeared on the syndicated news program Inside Edition. On the tape Spector explained that it was physically impossible for him to have killed Clarkson: "The deceased was standing when she took her own life and she was five-eleven and she would've been six-feet-two with heels on, which she was wearing at the time of her death, and that the gun was in a downward position. I am five-foot-five. It would've been physically impossible for me to have administered the death wound to her in any shape, way, or form."

Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett has opened up about the death of his bandmate Taylor Hawkins. In an interview with The Plug with Justin Jay, Shiflett compared the loss of Hawkins to that of his father. He explained, "I remember for a long time after my dad died, you're sad about it, but you almost, like, forget for a second."

He continued, "Even, like, waking up in the morning ... and for a foggy second, you forget that he's dead. And then, 'Oh, f*ck, that's right, he's dead.'"

Shiflett said it's been a similar experience dealing with Hawkins' death, especially as the band prepped for the Hawkins Tribute Concerts. He explained, "Being at our rehearsal studio ... it's like you just expect him to walk in the room. That's the part that's really bizarre. ... You know it's true, you know it's reality — I don't know when that sinks in for real."