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It was 46 years ago this week (May 15th to May 27th, 1976) that the Rolling Stones' Black And Blue topped the Billboard 200 album charts for the first of four nonconsecutive weeks. The album, which was the band's 6th U.S. chart-topper, was recorded at Munich's Musicland Studios like its predecessor, It's Only Rock N' Roll. With the defection of guitarist Mick Taylor just before the album began production, the band used various players to fill in for Taylor -- with the sessions serving as auditions to fill his role on a permanent basis.

Among the players that sat in during the 1974 and 1975 sessions were Jeff Beck, Harvey Mandel, Wayne Perkins, and Taylor's eventual replacement, Ron Wood -- who played guitar on only two tracks, added vocals to several others, and became an official member just prior to the album's release. Billy Preston, who was touring with the Stones during this period, served as the album's primary keyboardist -- although longtime Stones sideman Nicky Hopkins was also featured.

The album's lead single "Fool To Cry" returned the Stones to the U.S. Top 10 after a two-and-a-half year absence, although it's followup, Black And Blue's lead track, "Hot Stuff," stalled at a disappointing Number 49.

None of the eight tracks recorded for Black And Blue featuring Jeff Beck made their way on to the album. The only track featuring Beck, "Slave" -- originally titled, "Black And Blue Jam," and alternately, "Vagina," which also featured backing vocals by Pete Townshend -- was eventually remixed and released on 1981's Tattoo You collection, along with another Black And Blue outtake, "Worried About You."

Although he had appeared on 1974's It's Only Rock N' Roll and toured with the band in 1975, Ron Wood says that joining the Rolling Stones in the mid-'70s was hardly smooth sailing: "Well, it was a fragile ship when I joined because they'd been through many ups and downs, and there was kind of a grey cloud."

Bill German, the author of Under Their Thumb -- How A Nice Boy From Brooklyn Got Mixed Up With The Rolling Stones And Lived To Tell About It, and the editor of the legendary Stones fanzine Beggars Banquet, recalled 1976's Black And Blue as being an under-the-radar treasure: "The first thing I remember is getting it and (thinking) there isn't enough songs on it . (Laughs) There's only eight songs, and then I heard that it was kind of patched together -- y'know that they didn't have one singular (lead) guitarist on there. And it's like, 'What -- Who are these other guys? I know that Ron Wood was touring with them and he's, like, a member of the band now, but why isn't he on this track or that track?' But I really did enjoy a lot of the songs on there. For me, y'know, it was my first taste of reggae -- they were doing 'Cherry, Oh Baby' on there. And, y'know, they were ahead of the curve on that! 'Memory Motel' I liked, y'know, Keith (Richards) has his little snippet singing in there. I like that whole album."

Although the Stones are renowned for their hard partying ways throughout the 1960's and '70s -- with Black And Blue marking the end of Keith Richards' heroin period, Mick Jagger admitted that having that type of fun never amounted to memorable music once inside the studio: "Well, y'know, if you take lots drugs and you get drunk all the time, you don't really prod. . . People thought for a while that would produce tremendous sort of creative ability -- I don't think it really does. I'm not saying you shouldn't go out and have a good time, but if you try to work when you're completely out of your mind, it make the work much longer. (Laughs) It just takes forever to do."

Happy Birthday to Stevie Wonder, who turns 72 today (May 13th)!!! 2021 saw Stevie Wonder' duet with Elton John on "Finish Line," from Elton's latest album, The Lockdown Sessions. The video, which features new and archival footage of people of all creeds, races, and denominations celebrating the big moments in life, also includes vintage shots of Elton and Wonder from back in the 1970's.

Back in October 2020, Wonder released his first new music in 15 years. "Where Is Our Love Song" was a tune he began writing way back in 1968; and the second track -- "Can't Put It In The Hands Of Fate" -- featured Busta Rhymes and Rapsody alongside backing vocals from five of his nine children. Rolling Stone reported at the time, "Proceeds from the song's sales will benefit Feeding America, which, Wonder says, has requested $1 billion in donations to help families in need around the country." The tracks were issued under Wonder's own Republic Records, marking his first break from Motown in nearly 60 years.

In June 2020, Wonder posted a video on social media, titled "The Universe Is Watching" in which he spoke at length on race relations in the country and how America can move beyond what he believes is Donald Trump's overt race baiting and prejudice.

Wonder quoted from his 1973 Innervisions classic "Visions," reciting "I'm not one who makes believe/ I know that leaves are green/ They only turn to brown/ When autumn comes around/ I know just what I say/ Today's not yesterday/ And all things have an ending."

He spoke about how he commemorated Juneteenth, despite the fact that it's not a nationally recognized day, saying, "As a matter of fact, there are three states that still do not recognize it: North Dakota, South Dakota and Hawaii. How did it feel to celebrate freedom that we're still fighting for? It felt, and feels, too familiar."

Stevie Wonder was born Stevland Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan in 1950, and later on legally changed his last name to Morris. At 12-years-old, "Little Stevie Wonder" had his first Number One hit with "Fingertips - Part 2," recorded live in concert. Listen closely and you'll hear the musicians struggling to keep up with Wonder as he improvises; at one point, one musician can be heard shouting, "What key? What key?"

In October 22nd, 2017, Stevie Wonder kneeled while performing "The Star Spangled Banner" in Austin during his performance the Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of America. TimeOut.com reported that Wonder performed a hit-packed setlist that included a surprise version of Carole King's "You've Got A Friend." Wonder addressed the crowd, stating, "I've never seen the color of my skin, nor the color of your skin. What I want you to know is that we are in a race, we here, all of us here, a race against time, (so) it's time for all the leaders, all the people, all of us to come together in the spirit of unity so we can move this world to a positive form."

It was during his harmonica medley of John Lennon's global peace anthem "Imagine" with "The Star Spangled Banner," that Wonder took a knee in solidarity with the NFL players raising awareness of ongoing social inequality, which inspired audience members to follow suit.

Wonder got married in July 2017 under a cloak of secrecy at L.A.'s Hotel Bel-Air to third wife, Tomeeka Bracy. News only became public a week later because, according to Vintage Vinyl News, "Every guest, including family members, had to sign a confidentiality agreement that included a penalty of $1 million if they talked to the press. . . Reportedly, the best man and bridesmaids were made up of some of Wonder's nine children."

Among the 160 high profile guests attending the nuptials -- which featured Wonder serenading the bride -- were John Legend, Babyface, Pharrell, and Usher.

Wonder and Bracy who was 42 at the time, have been together since 2012 and have two children together. Wonder was first married to songwriter Syreeta Wright from 1970 to 1972 and Kai Millard Morris from 2001 to 2012.

2015 saw Wonder playing a string of concerts featuring his 1976 classic Songs In The Key Of Life being performed in its entirety, the star-studded CBS Songs In The Key Of Life -- An All-Star Grammy Salute, and his induction of Bill Withers into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In December 2014, Wonder welcomed his ninth child, daughter Nia.

Stevie Wonder's shows have always featured a wide selection of songs spanning his entire career. He spoke about the allure of playing full album concerts: "I have thought about doing performances of different works or, y'know, that whole deal, because as much as they are albums, based on vinyl and CD and all that kind of thing. But, I think something like Songs In The Key Of Life, it's an actual concept and project that you do that music; y'know, thank God it's, y'know, stood the test of time and all that."

Stevie Wonder and his second wife Kai Millard Morris divorced in 2015. Under the terms of the split, Stevie will pay $25,000 a month in child support for their two children. The couple agreed on joint custody, with Stevie permitted to take the children on tour with him on a "limited basis."

Martha Reeves, who was still working as a receptionist at Motown when Wonder first auditioned for the label, recalled that he was unlike anything they had seen or heard before: "Stevie Wonder, when he came to audition, played every instrument in the studio. Then he surprised everybody by puling this harmonica out of his jacket pocket and playing the harmonica, that nobody (laughs) at Motown had ever played."

Not long before her death in February 2021, the Supremes' Mary Wilson recalls the first time she ever met Stevie Wonder, prior to the recording of his first Number One hit "Fingertips - Part 2": "Stevie Wonder was brought to the studio by Ronnie White of the Miracles. We were at that time Berry Gordy's shadow. Wherever he would go we would go (laughs). So he said 'I have this young kid coming in and I want you guys to listen to him.' Stevie Wonder was going on nine, or something like that, it was just like watching a little genius! (laughs)"

The Temptations' late-frontman Dennis Edwards remembered immediately being floored by Wonder's talents: "The first time I met him, man, I was at Motown -- of course Stevie was a little kid. He plays all the time. Every time you hear him he's swinging. All you've got to do is speak and Stevie knows who you are. He can't see and he's like 'Dennis!' It's like. . . when I first met him I'm like 'How does he know who I am?' Y'know?"

Wonder, who has been writing songs since he was a child, said that he's never taken his talent for granted: "As I many times do, I'll say, 'God, let me come up with a song, let me think of a song, let me this, let me that.' It's a magical thing that happens, so I'm still -- I'm a lover of music. I'm a very fortunate person in that the thing that I love I'm able to do and support my family as well."

He says that he wants to hit the road again with a new multimedia type show. Wonder says that he's eager to incorporate an orchestra and a dance troupe into the show: "I've also thought about doing a thing where I perform with part of my group, maybe similarly to the thing that we did with Natural Wonder. Some symphony orchestra as well as use of dancers, like either the Dance Theatre of Harlem or a combination of various dance companies and do that kind of thing, when we do a combination of dance and music. Because obviously, dancing is meant to be done with music, and music is to be done with dancing."

Wonder's last studio album, A Time To Love, peaked at Number Five in 2005.

In September 2008 Wonder was named by the Library Of Congress as the 2008 recipient of the prestigious Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

In 2009 Wonder released first concert DVD Live At Last -- A Wonder Summer's Night, which was filmed over two nights at London's O2 Arena.

Also in 2009 he was chosen by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to be a United Nations Messenger of Peace, with a special mission to help people with disabilities.

In 2010, Wonder was awarded the Commander of Arts and Letters award from French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand.

For the past few years the Motown icon has been working on two projects: The Gospel Inspired By Lula, an inspirational work inspired by his late mother, and the concept album Through The Eyes Of Wonder, about experiencing life as a blind person. Wonder was also set to record an album of duets with Tony Bennett with Quincy Jones producing.

Wonder was previously married to singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright from 1970 to 1972. Since then, he's had several long-term relationships and has fathered nine children -- including daughter Aisha Morris, who's part of Wonder's backing band.

In July 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin, Stevie Wonder vowed to boycott performing in Florida until the state abolishes its Stand Your Ground gun law. During a 2013 concert in Quebec City, Quebec, Wonder told the crowd: "The truth is that -- for those of you who've lost in the battle for justice, wherever that fits in any part of the world -- we can't bring them back. What we can do is we can let our voices be heard. And we can vote in our various countries throughout the world for change and equality for everybody. That's what I know we can do. Where I find that law exists, I will not perform in that state or in that part of the world. Because what I do know is that people know that my heart is of love for everyone and when I say everyone, I mean everyone. As I said earlier, you can't just talk about it. You gotta be about it. We can make change by coming together for the spirit of unity."

Saturday (May 14th) marks the seventh anniversary of the death of the truly legendary, B.B. King, who died at the age of 89 following a series of strokes, and passed away in his sleep at his home in Las Vegas. B.B. King had long suffered from Type II diabetes and canceled a tour in October 2014 due to ill health. He never performed live again.

Best known outside of the blues world for classic songs like "The Thrill Is Gone," King was a touring artist for over a half-century, averaging 275 shows a year. He also released more than 50 albums since the 1940's, was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame, won 15 Grammy Awards -- including a Lifetime Achievement Award -- and was the recipient of Kennedy Center Honors from President Bill Clinton in 1995.

Ranked Number Six on Rolling Stone's 2011 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time, King influenced generations of blues and rock guitarists and was one of the biggest blues artists to cross over from regional success to mainstream and commercial fame within his own lifetime.

B.B. King was born in Mississippi as Riley B. King on September 16th, 1925 and worked in the cotton fields as an orphan before starting on the path that made him a living legend and a national treasure.

Longtime friend and frequent collaborator Eric Clapton was the first to offer up a eulogy to King posting a video online, which said in part: "I just wanted to express my sadness and to say thank you to my dear friend B.B. King. I want to thank him for all the inspiration and encouragement he gave to me as a player over the years and for the friendship that we enjoyed. There's not a lot left to say because his music is almost a thing of the past now and there are not many left that play it in the pure way that B.B. did. If you're not familiar with his work I would encourage you to go out and find an album called B.B. King Live At The Regal, which is where it all really started for me as a young player."

Rita Washington, the 13th of B.B. King's 15 children, and among those battling for custody of King in his final days, was quoted by The New York Post's Page Six as saying: "My dad grew up with a broken heart . . . He left here with a broken heart. He didn't have his loved ones with him. God has given him wings. He's there with family now."

B.B. King was among the first of the famed bluesmen to be able to break down the intricacies of the form and discuss the structure of the blues to the general public: "Most of the tunes that I play is of a 12-bar pattern. Which is, some people call the regular traditional type of blues, even though I like jazz and sometimes I find a lot of fun in trying to play just a little bit for my own amusement; which would be eight or 32-bar-type things. Now, there are blues that I play that are eight-bar-type of blues that I play, but not as much as I do with 12-bar-type-things. So, what I meant about my time -- not the beat. The beat. . . they usually say I'm pretty good, that I drive quite a bit while playing on the beat. But for instance, a 12-bar tune, I allow the end at about 15-bars (laughs), y'see, because that's when (laughs) anybody listening don't pay it any attention, but anyone trying to play with ‘em, that's when you have problems."

King jokingly recalled what prompted his initiation into the blues: "Before the army, I was a spiritual singer, y'see; but when in went in the army I started singing' blues -- and I think most guys do (laughs)."

Through his career, B.B. King was always cognizant that the blues needed to be a living breathing force and that performing live and maintaining an audience was the only way to ensure that: "As long as you're able to play to people, that's the thing that's important to me, is being able to have an audience. Being able to know that there are people that like what you do, or your artistry. At one time I thought that it was dying out too fast, but today, I feel that it's dying out as we've known it. Of course now, don't misunderstand -- we've got so many talented people that are continuously creating the music. The music is being created or, shall we say, new ways to play old music is being created all the time, and believe it or not, some very wonderful sounds are coming from it."

When we caught up to him just prior to his 2015 death, we asked B.B. King what his favorite song was after all these years. Not surprisingly, the guitarist went with his 1970 signature tune, "The Thrill Is Gone": "I'd have to go with 'The Thrill is Gone,' because if I didn't play that at night I'd probably get tomatoes thrown at me. One night in New York, about two in the morning, I pulled it out and had a great rhythm section that morning and, boy, the minute we started, it clicked. I could hear it right then."

Metallica's James Hetfield cited two of his early guitar influences. Loudwire reported during the promotional video for Hetfield's new Hardwired Master Core strings for Ernie Ball, he explained how both metal and punk icons helped lead the way to his unique style of rhythm guitar.

Hetfield was quoted as saying, "For me it was a little more raw, the stuff that I liked. Discovering bands like AC/DC then Judas Priest and then the whole new wave of British heavy metal came out and that was Iron Maiden, then Motorhead, and Black Sabbath for sure was a Number One influence for me. Seeing that first album cover, and seeing that first Iron Maiden album cover, it drew me right to it. I just got continually heavier and heavier as I was discovering music."

Hetfield went on to shed light on the mechanics of his guitar playing: "I'm kind of a little bit of a barbarian when I play. I'm always interested in the riff. It was the foundation of the song. Tony Iommi, he's ruling the song with his riff and everything else joins him. Y'know, Johnny Ramone, lots of down picking lots of y'know, just fast down picking. That helped develop my style. So kind of a combination of punk rock and heavy rock at the time y'know, turned into just the down picking style and with melody along with it."

Not too long ago, James Hetfield admitted to us that due to his shyness in the early days of Metallica, he used to play up his "tough-guy" persona: "There's no doubt that I played into the image that was portrayed in the press, portrayed in people's description of why they liked Metallica. I didn't want to disappoint. I wanted to be that guy. I wanted to put that mask on, and then keeping the mask on 24 hours became suffocating, and I could not do it anymore."

IN OTHER METALLICA NEWS

James Hetfield checked in on his youngest fan, Luan Figueiró, who was born on May 7th during the band's concert in Curitiba, Brazil. The baby's mom, Joice M. Figueiró, filmed the phone call and posted some of the seven-minute conversation online.

It was 50 years ago today (May 12th, 1972) that the Rolling Stones released their groundbreaking double album, Exile On Main St. The collection chronicled the band's last days in England and living decadently in exile in and around the French Riviera during the spring and summer of 1971.

Exile On Main St., which was the band's fourth album co-produced by the late-Jimmy Miller, spent four weeks at Number One, and included the hit singles "Tumbling Dice" -- which peaked at Number Seven, and "Happy" -- which reach Number 22 -- along with such classic tracks as "Rocks Off," "Torn And Frayed," "Rip This Joint," "Loving Cup," "Let It Loose," "All Down The Line," "Shine A Light," "Sweet Virginia," and others.

Despite the fact that Exile On Main St. sounds as if the songs were recorded all at once, some of the tracks stretched as far back as 1968 and were sketches either written, or partially -- or even fully -- recorded during the Stones' sessions for Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers.

According to legend, there are dozens of hours of loose jams recorded by the Stones during the infamous basement sessions held at Keith Richards' rented house, Nellcote. Nellcote was a Gestapo headquarters during the Second World War -- a fact, which was figured out after the band noticed the swastikas on the floor vents. Amazingly, Keith Richards actually started the Exile sessions clean, and only reverted back to using heroin after a nasty go-cart accident in which he ripped his entire back open.

Back in 2010, the Stones issued an expanded reissue of Exile On Main Street. The album's "deluxe" CD edition featured 10 bonus tracks: "Loving Cup," "Pass The Wine (Sophia Loren)," "I'm Not Signifying," "Dancing In The Light," "So Divine (Aladdin Story)," "Soul Survivor," "Following The River," "Plundered My Soul," "Good Time Women," and "Title 5.

The "super deluxe" package included the vinyl version, the documentary DVD Stones In Exile, and a 50-page collector's book with photos from the Exile era.

Back in 2010, Mick Jagger spoke about the legendary set, telling The Sydney Morning Herald, "I don't know if it was my favorite. I don't have a favorite album. I don't know how you could have a favorite -- a favorite movie, a favorite anything -- because one day you might not be in the mood for a really grungy album like this one and you might want something smoother and more polished: you might prefer Tattoo You some days."

He went on to praise Exile's dual guitar interplay between Keith Richards and Mick Taylor: "One of the great things about it is that you've got Mick playing brilliantly and Keith also -- but they have diametrically opposed styles: Mick's got this very fluid, melodic style and Keith's got this very rhythmic style, so they work very well together."

Mick Jagger told us that although the album remains among the most legendary of the band's golden era, newer fans discovering the album are at a slight disadvantage: "I mean, it's never quite the same. Y'know, when you discover something yourself. The thing is when you discover a new bar -- you think you've discovered it and then you find out that everyone knows about it. So if you're 16 and you found this record, you'll say 'Oh! This is really interesting; have you ever heard of a record called Exile On Main St.?' I found this, it's like, really rare' And you say, 'Well everyone knows about that!' So, y'know, that's how you wanna discover things."

In November 1971, Jagger and Richards moved the album's sessions from France to L.A. to record overdubs and mix the set. Dr. John, who added keyboards at the time, had said that he remembered very little of his time working on Exile On Main Street. We asked Keith Richards if he too draws a blank when he thinks back to the long hot summer of '71 and recording Exile: "Yeah, I can remember it -- and I can smell it still (laughs); that basement was pretty dirty. But apart from that, I know what Dr. John means. I think he was around for some of the making of it, y'know?"

Keith Richards talked about the long-growing legacy of Exile In Main Street over the years and explained that despite it's place in rock culture today -- it wasn't released to great fanfare in 1972: "At first it was received (with) a little bit of doubt and skepticism, but then it just started to pick up and then it kept going and going and going until some people now say 'it's the best album you've ever done' -- well, I don't know about that (laughs). But I'm still very proud of it. I could never pick, I mean, 'what do I think is the best?' -- I could never think in those terms, y'know? Well that was the best of what I did then (laughs), y'know?

We asked Mick Jagger about the Stones' legendary tapes recorded at Jagger's home called Stargroves in 1970, prior to the Exile sessions: "I looked at a lot of that, I listened to a lot of that stuff, too. And some of that is on this record."

In the expanded DVD edition of Stones In Exile, Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts shed light onto the band's sessions at Stargroves, much of which found its way on to Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main Street , and Goats Head Soup: "(Mick Jagger): In a small little box, you get very bad drum sounds, so you have to trick the drum sound up with all kinds of echoes. In a big ambient room like this, you get a very big drum sound, and in those days (Charlie Watts): You could move things in big rooms, that's what's so good. Like, the brass didn't sound good here, so you go up there, or you go (Mick Jagger): We used all the rooms to record in, so we put amps in all these different rooms to get all these different sounds."

Don Was, who's been the Stones' primary producer since 1993 had the dream job of not only digging tracks out of the archive for the deluxe Exile reissue release -- but he was behind the boards as Jagger, Richards and former guitarist Mick Taylor put the finishing touches on some nearly-finished Exile-era tracks. We asked him what boundaries he set for himself before working on such an important project: "You bring respect, man. I'll tell you, the boundaries are laid down by Keith. Keith sent me a fax at the very beginning. He said, 'You don't have to make it sound like Exile -- it is Exile.' And that was it. That was the guiding principle."

Although bassist Bill Wyman is no longer a partner in the Stones franchise, he is considered the band's primary in-house historian and still contributes to their archival projects. Wyman explained in the 2010 Stones In Exile DVD that although Exile On Main St. proved to be among the greatest of the Stones' '70s albums, the sessions were far from being the most productive or professional of the era: "I suppose we had the band there -- the whole band there -- probably 30 percent, 40 percent of the time. The rest of the time it was just bits. Me and Charlie (Watts) and Mick didn't come -- Mick Taylor didn't come -- and me Charlie and Keith (Richards), so we'd work on something. 'Next day Keith wouldn't come because Mick (Jagger) wasn't there, so then Mick'd come and he'd see that Keith wasn't there and the next day he wouldn't come. And sometimes we'd all get there to a session and Keith wouldn't even come! He was upstairs sleeping! Charlie'd come five hours, y'know, me and Mick Taylor had come two hours, Mick had come an hour and Keith is upstairs, and he didn't come down to the session! And it was like, madness."

Back in 2012, the film rights to author Robert Greenfield's 2006 book, Exile On Main Street: A Season In Hell With The Rolling Stones were optioned by Virgin Produced for an upcoming biopic. Greenfield, who during his tenure as a Rolling Stone associate editor, followed the Stones on their 1972 tour and wrote the classic 1974 book on the band's legendary road trek, STP: A Journey Through America With The Rolling Stones. So far no further info on the picture has been announced.

The Rolling Stones' 14-stadium European run kicks off on June 1st in Madrid, Spain and plays through July 31st in Stockholm, Sweden.

Ed Sheeran has enlisted new artist, Budjerah for a remix of his song, "2step."

When the young Australian artist won the ARIA award, it was Sheeran who announced him as the winner. He said, "To now be featured on the Australian remix of Ed's track ‘2Step' and have it released globally as I'm just starting my first overseas tour, it's really exciting."

"2step" appears on Sheeran's smash hit fifth studio album, = (Equals). Several other versions have rolled out, including cuts featuring Ukrainian band, Antytila, as well as Lil Baby, Ultimo and 1.Cuz.

Budjerah released his self-titled, debut EP last year.

TL;DR:

Former-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony revealed that he too has been in talks about a live Van Halen reunion. Ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted recently revealed that he had been asked about testing the waters with Alex Van Halen, Joe Satriani -- and presumably David Lee Roth -- for a possible tribute/reunion tour -- and Anthony explained he's spoken to his former bandmates and management about the same thing.

Michael Anthony appeared on The Mitch Lafon & Jeremy White Show and offered up where he stands in all of this: "(What) was kind of a surprise to me was that Jason Newsted thing. When he came out and said that Alex had talked to him, what last year or something like that? Which is kinda interesting, because I actually had been talking on a conference call with (manager) Irving Azoff, Alex, and Dave last year. So, I don't know what the Jason thing was all about -- and that's with (Joe) Satriani. And, y'know, I spoke to Joe about it and it was more, y'know, just, something (that was) kicking around. Y'know, I don't know if it was just nothing more than anyone talking -- but I did have some talks with Dave and Alex last year."

Anthony went on to explain that rather than the preliminary talks leading to a full on "new" lineup of the band without the late-Eddie Van Halen, any type of project would be considered a celebration of the music.

A while back, drummer Alex Van Halen shed light on Michael Anthony becoming the fourth and final member of the classic Van Halen lineup back in 1974: "The way we met was, we were playing the same bill -- playing a high school auditorium. And our P.A. had broken down and Mike just let us use his. And we befriended him and he came around -- and before you know it, he was in the band. In the beginning, that's when you really. . . it's the friendship and the camaraderie and the love for music that makes it happen. But, yeah, it was Mike's vibe that was the. . . first got us going."

5 Seconds of Summer have released their new single, "Me, Myself & I."

Lead vocalist, Luke Hemmings says the song "explores the emotional cycle of feeling like you can do everything on your own and that you don't need anyone else, but eventually realizing that sometimes you push away the best things in your life."

The emotionally-driven song highlights the group's pop and punk influences. The music video premiers Friday (May, 13) at 5pm ET on YouTube.

The band also announced their 5^th studio album,5S0S5, to be released on September 23. The deluxe CD and digital versions of the album will have 19 tracks and will include cassette and vinyl formats.

To promote the new album, 5 Seconds of Summer will tour North America this summer. They'll make stops in 29 cities, including, Los Angeles, Nashville, Atlanta, and New York City.

TL;DR:

• 5 Seconds of Summer have released their new single "Me, Myself & I."
• The music video premiers Friday (May, 13) at 5pm ET on YouTube.
• New album to be released on September 23.

More tour dates have been announced for Chvrches to play in North America. The next leg kicks off on July 24th in Austin, Texas. From there, they'll hit the South, in cities like New Orleans, Birmingham, Alabama, Atlanta, and Asheville, North Carolina. They'll play both east and west coasts before wrapping in October in Boise, Idaho.

Pre-sales are available now, with tickets going on sale tomorrow, May 14.

The tour is in support of Chvrches' latest album, Screen Violence.

TL;DR:

• Chvrches to play more dates in North America.
• The next leg kicks off on July 24th in Austin, Texas.
• Pre-sales are available now, with tickets going on sale tomorrow, May 14.

Happy Birthday to Steve Winwood who celebrates his 74th birthday today (May 12th)!!! Winwood surprised fans when he backed out of the opening slot to Steely Dan's spring tour with no reason offered. The keyboard legend recently contributed to Christine McVie's upcoming solo album, offering up piano and backing vocals to their co-write, "Ask Anybody."

Last year Winwood teamed up with Santana for a cover of Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade Of Pale," which was featured on the band's Blessings And Miracle collection

Steve Winwood has been a working musician nearly all of his life having joined the Spencer Davis Group band in 1963 at the age of 15. Two years later, the band released their debut album, titled Their First LP. Though Spencer Davis led the band, Winwood was the group's unmistakable star, and hits like "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm A Man" established Winwood, then called "Little Stevie Winwood," as one of the most popular singers in Britain, and was often referred to as the "white" Ray Charles.

In 1967, he quit the Spencer Davis Group to form the more experimental Traffic with former Spencer Davis Group roadie Dave Mason, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood. The group released two albums before breaking up. Winwood then hooked up with former Cream members Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, as well as former Family member Rick Gretch, to form the short-lived supergroup Blind Faith. That band lasted less than a year, after which Winwood reformed Traffic.

By 1977, Traffic had split again and Winwood kicked off a more pop-oriented solo career, racking up numerous hits over the next decade, with such songs as "While You See A Chance," "Talking Back To The Night," "Back In The High Life," "Higher Love," "The Finer Things," "Valerie," "Freedom Overspill" and "Roll With It," among others.

In 2008 Winwood released his first new album in five years, called Nine Lives. The album received good reviews and featured Clapton's guitar work on the lead single "Dirty City."

In 2009, Winwood and Clapton released the deluxe CD/DVD Clapton & Winwood: Live From Madison Square Garden. The set, which features tracks recorded during the pair's two-date New York City stand in February 2008, includes such favorites from Blind Faith's first and last album, including "Had To Cry Today," "Presence Of The Lord," "Sleeping In The Ground" and "Well, All Right."

The duo tore through the Clapton classics "Forever Man", "Cocaine," "Double Trouble" and "After Midnight" -- along with such Winwood and Traffic favorites as "Dear Mr. Fantasy" "Glad," and "Pearly Queen."

In 2012, Winwood's second solo album, 1980's Arc Of A Diver, was given the deluxe reissue treatment including a second bonus disc including rare tracks, along with the BBC Radio 2 documentary entitled Arc Of A Diver: The Steve Winwood Story.

In September 2016, Steve Winwood released his latest live collection, Winwood Greatest Hits Live, which features healthy doses of his timeless work with Traffic, Blind Faith, the Spencer Davis Group -- alongside his own classic solo hits.

The tracklisting for Winwood Greatest Hits Live is: "I'm A Man," "Them Changes," "Fly," "Can't Find My Way Home," "Had To Cry Today," "Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys," "Empty Pages," "Back In The High Life Again," "Higher Love," "Dear Mr. Fantasy," "Gimme Some Lovin'," "Rainmaker," "Pearly Queen," "Glad," "Why Can't We Live Together," "40,000 Headmen," "Walking In The Wind," "Medicated Goo," "John Barleycorn," "While You See A Chance," "Arc Of A Diver," "Freedom Overspill," and "Roll With It."

Eric Clapton, who left Cream to form Blind Faith with Steve Winwood, told us his desire to play with Winwood began during the Cream days: "If I'd had more power of personality and more authority, I would have insisted that we had a keyboard player, and I would've chosen Steve Winwood. I mean, it kept being a fantasy of mine that Steve would join Cream, but I just didn't feel confident enough to broach the subject. Maybe I did a couple of times, but I think I, maybe I was, it was discounted."

Although Steve Winwood recently wrapped a sold-out solo theater tour, we asked him if he's at all worried that his solo gigs will be overlooked after becoming the go-to-guy opening act for such A-list peers as Rod Stewart, Santana, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and last summer's run with Steely Dan: "It's interesting. Y'know, I think there's something to be said for both. And then of course before that I was out with the Tom Petty tour, which was a success. But I think it was . . . I think it worked in conjunction with my shows. I wouldn't like to think that that was the only thing I was doing. I still like the idea of doing my shows as well. So, I think it sort of broadens the view of my music, I should think."

Steve Winwood explained to us that although he knows his setlists need to feature his classics with the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith, not to mention on his own -- that doesn't mean he has to turn into a traveling jukebox on the road: "Obviously when I play live shows, I'm expected to play a lot of things. I mean, if I don't play something from some particular era, I mean the (online) messages fly around, so there's a regular amount of things I generally have to play. So, what I've tried to do, and with the people in the various bands I've played (in), is we try to reinvent some of the songs that I'm known for and expected to play. Partly, it's more interesting to us and we hope it's more interesting to the listener."

Katy Perry will star as the title character in Melody, an animated musical feature created, directed, and produced by Jeremy Zag. Along with 3 others, Perry will also have the title of producer.

Perry plays a kind-hearted, insecure singer who must overcome the evil plans of a jealous wicked pop queen who has vowed to destroy her. All set against the backdrop of New York City.

She's writing and performing songs with themes of self-discovery and self-belief. She told Deadline, "I am 37-year-old woman who still struggles with being insecure. I've come to realize that everyone is insecure, and that if you are not, I wonder if you have some negative characteristics because of that. I'm such a big fan of the animation world, and because my daughter is two years old, I am more immersed than ever before."

She posted images online of her character… a young girl with bubblegum pink hair, sitting in a bedroom and playing guitar. No release date has been announced.

TL;DR:

• Katy Perry will star as the title character in Melody, an animated musical feature.
• Along with 3 others, Perry will also have the title of producer.
• Perry plays a kind-hearted, insecure singer who must overcome the evil plans of a jealous wicked pop queen.
• No release date has been announced.

Smashing Pumpkins and Jane's Addiction have rolled out their 32-date joint "Spirits On Fire Tour" set for this fall. The arena run kicks off on October 2nd at Dallas' American Airlines Center and wraps on November 19th at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl.

The Pumpkins are currently on the road, and the upcoming gigs mark Jane's first full-scale tour dates since 2016.

Billy Corgan told us that he's been aware for years how much the early-Pumpkins albums have influenced the music that came in their wake: "Overly masculine kind of invested rock on paper doesn't seem to have a lot to do with what we did. But then, I've gotten to know Fred Durst a little bit, and the Smashing Pumpkins are, like, one of his favorite bands. When he was 16, 17, he was listening to Gish and Siamese (Dream). So, y'know, somehow along the way, we had to do Nirvana, and that approach seemed to invest itself into, like, what becomes heavier and heavier. So, I don't think it's a peer thing so much as it's just part of a lineage. I'm not taking the credit or the blame."

Not too long ago, Perry Farrell told us that he counts himself lucky to have found his place in the world through Jane's Addiction: "Well, y'know, I still cherish being in Jane's Addiction, as hard as it is, y'know? I can't say that my band and I are friends, and there was a time we didn't like each other at all, but I would say that I love being in Jane's Addiction so much, it overrides any kind of like shortcomings I might see in them and they might see in me."

Smashing Pumpkins perform on Friday night (May 13th) in Santa Barbara, California at The Santa Barbara Bowl.

JUST ANNOUNCED: Smashing Pumpkins / Jane's Addiction tour dates (subject to change):

October 2 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
October 3 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
October 5 - Austin, TX - Moody Center
October 7 - Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena
October 8 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Casino
October 10 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
October 11 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena
October 13 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun
October 14 - Belmont Park, NY - UBS Arena
October 16 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
October 18 - Washington, DC - Capital One Arena
October 19 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
October 21 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
October 22 - Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena
October 24 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
October 26 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
October 27 - Quebec City, QC - Centre Videotron
October 29 - Cleveland, OH - Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
October 30 - Milwaukee, WI - Fiserv Forum
November 1 - St. Louis, MO - Enterprise Center
November 2 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
November 4 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
November 5 - Chicago, IL - United Center
November 7 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena
November 9 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena
November 11 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
November 12 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
November 13 - Portland, OR - Moda Center
November 15 - San Francisco, CA - Chase Center
November 16 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
November 18 - Phoenix, AZ - Footprint Center
November 19 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl

Earlier this week, Hailey Bieber posted a how-to, make-up video and just a few hours later Selena Gomez did the same and that started an online frenzy. Followers were quick to make assumptions about the intention behind Gomez' video and accused her of "throwing shade" at Bieber.

Gomez soon made it clear that was not the case and apologized. Some of her fans took up for her and said, she was just showing off her skincare products.

Gomez said she had "Zero bad intention" and would be deleting the video.

Some have tried to pit Selena and Hailey against each other over their ties to Justin Bieber… Selena previously dated him and he's married to Hailey.

Gomez doesn't usually use social media and has said in the past that her mental health is better because of it.

TL;DR:

• Earlier this week, Hailey Bieber posted a how-to, make-up video and just a few hours later Selena Gomez did the same and that started an online frenzy.
• Followers accused her of "throwing shade" at Bieber.
• Gomez soon made it clear that was not the case and apologized.

Happy Birthday to legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach, who celebrates his 94th birthday today (May 12th). Bacharach and Elvis Costello -- along with Emmy Award-nominated writer and Two And A Half Men creator Chuck Lorre -- are currently collaborating on a Broadway adaption of Bacharach and Costello's 1998 album, Painted From Memory, with an eye towards a Broadway run. No opening date or location has been announced.

In 2013, Bacharach was the subject of a PBS special Burt Bacharach's Music: My Best; published his autobiography, Anyone Who Had A Heart: My Life And Music; and released the career-spanning CD collection, The Art Of The Songwriter: Anyone Who Had A Heart - The Best Of Burt Bacharach.

Burt Bacharach was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and as a child moved to Queens, New York. By the age of 12, he had studied cello, drums, and piano -- although at the time he hated it. Bacharach hoped to play pro football, but was considered too small for the game.

As a teenager, Bacharach used a fake ID to sneak into New York clubs and watch jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. While in the Army, he played piano at the officers club on Governor's Island in New York Harbor, and in concerts at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

Bacharach was a former accompanist for the legendary Marlene Dietrich. He and his songwriting partner, the late-Hal David, met singer Dionne Warwick while they were working on a session for the Drifters, and she became their "go-to" singer for demos. Eventually, they wrote and produced 20 Top 40 hits for Warwick, seven of which hit the Top 10. Among their landmark songs were "I Say A Little Prayer," "Walk On By," and "I'll Never Fall In Love Again."

Other Bacharach-David hits include Herb Alpert's Number One "This Guy's In Love With You," Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat," Gene Pitney's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," Jackie DeShannon's "What The World Needs Now Is Love," B.J. Thomas's "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head," and Dusty Springfield's "The Look Of Love."

After his split with David, Bacharach scored songwriting hits with wife Carole Bayer Sager, including Christopher Cross's "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," Neil Diamond's "Heartlight," Roberta Flack's "Making Love," Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald's "On My Own," and Dionne and Friends' "That's What Friends Are For."

Bacharach has won three Oscars for the music he did for movies, and was nominated for three more, for films including Arthur, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, Alfie, and Casino Royale.

He says he's proud of the effort he put into writing his greatest songs: "The songs maybe were a little sophisticated, a little urban, y'know? I think the durability may be because I made the music a little more complicated, so it took a little longer to digest, and therefore it lasted a little bit longer. And it's still with us. I'm very grateful for it."

Although Bacharach is best known now for writing in the adult contemporary vein, he says that he's pretty much open to composing in all genres: "Some music I have difficulty with. I mean, I'm just partial to certain areas of music that I've always loved, Brazilian music, Cuban music. . . I mean you always just have to keep your ears open and your heart open and don't get bogged down into the way it was 20 years ago, y'know?"

Michael McDonald has been a lifelong fan of Bacharach's and covered "Walk On By" on his 2008 collection, Soul Speak. He told us that what Bacharach was creating musically back in the '60s is still advanced -- even by today's standards: "Burt Bacharach was a writer that probably, if you asked most A&R people before his great success, they would say, 'Oh, this guy is way too sophisticated for the pop radio audience.' His music verges on jazz and pulls on so many worldly elements that people in America don't understand: bossa nova, odd time signatures, y'know, things like that." ( :22 OC: . . things like that)

Unlike other artists who looked to Bob Dylan and the Beatles to define the 1960's for him, Barry Manilow credits Bacharach for inspiring him throughout his early years: "The '60s was the era where I actually got it. The '50s was really more my parents' era, y'know, I watched, I watched from afar. But the '60s was really more my era. Anything Bacharach did affected me more than anything else, because he's such a brilliant songwriter. He chooses melodies that don't belong, that shouldn't work. They should not work, and they work better than anything."

2006 was a bittersweet one for Bacharach. His latest album, titled At This Time, won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Then in December of that year, Bacharach's daughter Nikki, from his marriage to Angie Dickinson, committed suicide, after having suffered for years with Asperger Syndrome.

In 2009 Brian Wilson, who's idolized Bacharach work for over 40 years, finally got to collaborate with Bacharach on an original song -- something he told us was literally a dream come true: "'What Love Can Do' -- I found that to be very fun, I felt very honored to be in his presence, 'cause he's probably my favorite music maker of all time, and I just loved working with him. I wrote the verse, and he wrote the choruses."

Frequent Eagles collaborator, singer-songwriter J.D. Souther, told us that he's recently been working on new material with Bacharach: "It's a little daunting, Y'know, I'm stepping into some big shoes as a lyricist. But it's great fun, he's a brilliant musician, and a great guy -- he's a teddy bear."

Shortly before his 2012 death, we asked Hal David what he believed his and Burt Bacharach's most successful collaboration was: "'I Say A Little Prayer' is tremendous, 'What The World Needs Now' has become now, just enormous. If I had to say which was our biggest, at this point, I'd say, 'The Look Of Love.'"

BTS finally released the full tracklist for their forthcoming anthology, Proof, and fans are not happy that part of the LP will only be available on CD.

In a press release Tuesday (May 10th), the K-Pop band revealed that the third CD in the three-disc, 48-song collection will not be available to stream.

Angry members of ARMY quickly began tweeting comments, "What do you mean CD only?" and "I want to hear on spotify."

The disc's "14 special tracks" include demo versions of "Jump," "Boy in Luv," "Boyz with Fun" and "Seesaw" as well as an a capella version of Jung Kook's solo track "Still With You."

Set for publication on November 1st is Bono's memoir, titled, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. Each chapter is based around the title of a specific U2 song and features hand drawings by the singer.

Rolling Stone quoted Bono as explaining the brief of Surrender: "When I started to write this book, I was hoping to draw in detail what I'd previously only sketched in songs. The people, places, and possibilities in my life. Surrender is a word freighted with meaning for me. Growing up in Ireland in the Seventies with my fists up (musically speaking), it was not a natural concept. A word I only circled until I gathered my thoughts for the book. I am still grappling with this most humbling of commands. In the band, in my marriage, in my faith, in my life as an activist. Surrender is the story of one pilgrim's lack of progress. . . With a fair amount of fun along the way."

In the chapter titled "Out Of Control," Bono writes: "Why go all the way to Timbuktu as a war correspondent when there's so much good material under my bed? The fears and specters under my pillow. The reasons I sometimes don't want to get out of bed. I don't yet know that rock and roll -- punk rock in particular -- will prove my liberation. That it will end my occupation of my bed."

Whether it's revisiting a 30-year-old album on tour of looking back to his childhood, Bono recently explained that the past always remains firmly a part of the present: "Y'know, part of you never leaves the street you grew up in. And it's a beautiful street with beautiful people. I'm still best friends with a lot of people on Ceadarwood Road -- but, y'know, I still have that attitude that you walk out the door with -- I have it now -- and there actually nobody waitin' for me (laughs) to smack my head in."

A while back, Bono told us that a key idea for U2 now is the search for grace in a world that makes it very difficult to achieve: "It's a powerful idea, grace. It really is. And, y'know, we hear so much of karma and so little of grace. Every religion teaches us about karma and, well, what you put out you will receive. And even Christianity, which is supposed to be about grace, has turned, y'know, redemption into good manners, or the right accent, or, y'know, good works or whatever it is. I just can't get over grace -- (it's) so hard to find."

Halsey provided fans with an update on their health after dealing with a spate of recent hospitalizations.

The singer said in their Instagram Stories Tuesday (May 10th), "Basically, after seeing a hundred thousand doctors, I got diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjogren's syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome, POTS postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and I'm still looking for answers to the root cause of some of these things."

Despite their health issues, Halsey says they are continuing to rehearse for the forthcoming Love and Power Tour.

Olivia Rodrigo got to meet another one of her idols Tuesday (May 10th).

The "Drivers License" singer shared a video of herself excitedly hugging Jack White on Instagram alongside the caption, "got to meet my hero of all heroes today. still crying. thank u @officialjackwhite for being so kind to ur biggest fangirl. everyone go listen to fear of the dawn!!!!!"

In addition to meeting the White Stripes singer, she also got to spend time with Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne earlier this month.

Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen weighed in on the conjecture that Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil might not be up to the task of touring in a multi-band, massive world tour. Neil, who has been filmed over the past few years performing in abysmal shape, will perform on "The Stadium Tour" as part of the Crue, along with Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. Phil Collen revealed that a trainer will be part of the touring entourage.

He added: "I can't wait till we get out there. And hopefully Vince will be working out. We've got a trainer coming out. Yeah, it's gonna be really cool."

Collen spoke about the upcoming dates to St. Louis' KSHE 95, with Blabbermouth transcribing some of the guitarist's chat about the tour: "I talk to Nikki Sixx all the time. We're friends. And I've known Vince forever. He's gonna be part of our team. The way I look at this whole thing… We wanna take this tour to the rest of the world -- in Europe, Australia, Japan, all over the place, South America -- so it's really important that everyone is part of the team. And we're inspired. Me and Joe (Elliott) -- actually, all the guys -- we're on the phone, and we start rehearsing in about a week."

Leppard are no stranger to joint tours with massive bands. Phil Collen explained that there's no competition -- just an urge for everyone tom deliver their best show: "The great thing, when you go out on tour with Kiss, it's all about the show; it's not about trying to upstage anyone or do that. Yeah, you can have a bit of that going on, but then you live and die by the show, and you wanna make that great. And that's a great lesson we've learned from Kiss, and we apply that."

Last year Phil Collen appeared on the Jeremy White Podcast and was confident that by the time "The Stadium Tour" commenced, Vince Neil would be road ready: "Ay, look -- he's got a year. There's a lot at stake. You wanna be your best. With Nikki (Sixx), y'know, just before the tour, it's like, 'We're gonna work out together -- we're gonna do all this stuff!' With Vince, y'know, he's got a year to go, hopefully, everything's cool by then. I hope so -- finger's crossed! I'll probably go onstage with them at some point."

Unfortunately, covid has hit a member of Journey forcing the band and special guests Toto to end their current sting of dates early. The bandmember in question has not been identified. On May 10th, leader Neal Schon posted a message to fans on social media which reads:

Dear Friends

The last four remaining shows of Journey's tour are unfortunately postponed due to a band member testing positive for COVID.

The shows will be rescheduled for a later date, more information will be provided on the band websites shortly. Please hold on to your tickets at this time.

POSTPONED: Journey tour dates:

May 10 - Washington, DC - Capital One Arena
May 11 - Hartford, CT - XL Center
May 13 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
May 16 - Quebec, QC - Videotron Centre

We asked recently Neal Schon if looking back, he would've done anything differently in regard to his life in Journey: "I can't really say I would do anything differently, y'know? Everybody grows up at a different time in their life and you're crazy when you're young and, it's like, y'know, you live it. We were out there having fun and we were being wild and it was just what it was. It's easier to get along now. We don't have all the bits and problems that do when you're growing up in the rock n' roll industry."

Lynyrd Skynyrd has just tagged 13 new cities onto its "Big Wheels Keep On Turnin' 2022 Tour," according to Ultimate Classic Rock. The band, who'll kick off its next string of dates on Friday (May 13th) in Pomona, California at the L.A. County Fair, will now be on the road through September 26th when Skynyrd wraps their year at Airway Heights, Washington's Northern Quest Resort & Casino.

As expected, sole surviving original member Gary Rossington will be sidelined from the upcoming dates following emergency heart surgery. Guitarist Damon Johnson will once again sit in for him.

Skynyrd's opening acts on the tour include former-Eagles guitarist Don Felder, the Outlaws, the Marshall Tucker Band, and the Devon Allman Project.

It's been 35 years since Johnny Van Zant stepped into the shoes of his late-brother Ronnie Van Zant and took up as Lynyrd Skynyrd's second frontman. Back in 2018, Johnny appeared on AXS TV's The Big Interview With Dan Rather and recalled the initial steps in revamping Skynyrd for a new generation: "Gary (Rossington) called me and said, 'Hey, we wanna go out and do a tribute tour.' I walked into a room and here are the surviving members. If my brother would've lived, Lynyrd Skynyrd woulda went on. He was that type of man. They asked me to be part of this; I said, 'Let's go in and try to rehearse.' It's been 31 years. 31 years for me playin' with Gary. It seems like 31 seconds."

UPDATED: Lynyrd Skynyrd tour dates (subject to change):

May 13 - Pomona, CA - The L.A. County Fair
May 14 - Fresno, CA - Chukchansi Park (with Don Felder)
May 21 - Fort Campbell, KY - Division Parade Field
May 28 - Tampa, FL - Tampa Bay Margarita and Music Festival
May 29 - Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 3 - Crownsville, MD - The Let's Go Music Festival (with The Outlaws)
June 4 - Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach Theater (with The Outlaws and The Devon Allman Project)
June 10 - Middletown, NY - Orange County Fair Speedway (with The Marshall Tucker Band)
June 11 - Allentown, PA - PPL Center
July 1 - Gilford, NH - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (with Don Felder and The Outlaws)
July 2 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater (with The Outlaws)
July 3 - Bangor, ME - Maine Savings Amphitheater (with The Marshall Tucker Band and the Outlaws)
July 8 - Atlantic City, NJ - Ocean Casino Resort Ovation Hall
July 9 - Syracuse, NY - St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater (with Don Felder and The Marshall Tucker Band)
July 15 - Hammond, IN - Festival of the Lakes
July 16 - Moline, IL - Taxslayer Center
July 17 - Kettering OH - WTUE Birthday Bash, Fraze Pavilion
July 22 - Youngstown, OH - Covelli Center (with The Marshall Tucker Band)
August 6 - Billings, MT - Magic City Blues Festival
August 7 - Sturgis, SD - Sturgis Buffalo Chip
September 16 - Allegan, MI - Allegan County Fair
September 18 - Pryor, OK - Born & Raised Music Festival
September 22 - Concord, CA - Bone Bash, Concord Pavilion
September 23 - Sparks, NV - Nugget Event Center
September 25 - Puyallup, WA - Washington State Fair
September 26 - Airway Heights, WA - Northern Quest Resort & Casino

Rihanna is planning to expand her Fenty Beauty & Fenty Skin brands outside of the states. RiRi posted a photo on her Instagram wearing a headwrap, along with the caption, "I've been waiting for this moment!! Fenty Beauty & Fenty Skin are finally dropping in AFRICA!!!"

The singer also mentioned select African countries that will have the beauty products delivered and accessible to them.

Carlos Santana has just rolled out two new Las Vegas residencies for 2022. "An Intimate Evening with Santana: Greatest Hits Live" has added a total of 16 new shows at the House Of Blues over two runs in September and November. Santana kicks off his latest House OF Blues dates on May 18th.

We asked Carlos Santana if there was any advice he would offer up to aspiring musicians today: "Don't pay attention to the business. Pay attention to life. People need water. People need air. People need music. And if you're a good musician, if you play piano at Nordstrom's and they fire you because nobody buys anything when you're playing, because they're all looking at you? (laughter) -- that's a badge of honor (laughter)."

UPDATED: Carlos Santana Las Vegas House Of Blues residency dates (subject to change):

May 18, 20, 21, 22, 25, 27, 28 29
September 14, 16, 17, 18, 21, 23, 24, 25
November 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13

David Crosby has revealed he has quit touring. During a new chat with Best Classic Bands, Crosby was asked if he was planning on hitting the road and answered, "No. I'm not, because I'm 80. It's because I'm old. Being on a bus tour is a daunting task. It's very hard. It takes it out of you. I'm too old to do it anymore. I don't have the stamina; I don't have the strength."

Crosby, who turns 81 in August, has struggled over the years with heart ailments, a liver transplant, and diabetes among other maladies, shed light on his own brush with Covid: "It has been awful. Covid is a very weird disease. It makes you feel absolutely freaking awful. It has been thoroughly unpleasant. . . it's no fun at all. You want to avoid it if you possibly can."

When we last caught up with David Crosby, we asked him to describe what he thinks are the key elements to his best songs: "There's a certain kind of song -- 'tends to be ballad-y, mid-tempo song. Very personal and slightly mysterious lyrics, with dense and contrapuntal harmonies."

Crosby told us that his songwriting is a natural extension of his heart and mind: "A sense of humor is necessary to stay alive and a sense of what do you love, what do you care about, what really has worth in this life. And I wind up writin' about that. There are things I'm very angry about -- I wind up writin' about those."

Last July, David Crosby released his latest solo album, For Free. The collection -- named after "Croz's" cover of the Joni Mitchell classic -- features a new cover portrait by Joan Baez, and contributions from his son and bandmate James Raymond, Steely Dan's Donald Fagen, and the Doobie Brothers' Michael McDonald.