Pulse Music

Quick Takes: CSN, The Beatles, America, Lindsey Buckingham, Steve Winwood, Billy Idol

  • Crosby, Stills, & Nash have joined forces to show solidarity to Neil Young and urge their labels to pull their collective music from the Spotify streaming service. A rare joint statement from the estranged trio reads: "We support Neil and we agree with him that there is dangerous disinformation being aired on Spotify's Joe Rogan podcast. While we always value alternate points of view, knowingly spreading disinformation during this global pandemic has deadly consequences. Until real action is taken to show that a concern for humanity must be balanced with commerce, we don't want our music -- or the music we made together -- to be on the same platform." (Press release)

  • The Beatles' social media posted a message to fans understandably upset at their DVD and Blu-ray orders being postponed only days away from delivery. The message read: "Hello All - We had a technical and supply chain issue with our The Beatles: Get Back Blu-ray & DVD. We're sorry for the delay. We look forward to sharing a new release date soon." The package was set for release this Friday (February 8th) but has now been delayed indefinitely.

  • America's Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell are mourning the loss of their drummer for over four decades, Willie Leacox. The band posted a message on social media, which reads: "We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our brother and beloved drummer of 41 years, Willie Leacox. Willie was an integral part of the America family and we cherish the time that we shared with him through this crazy journey. We send our love to the Leacox family through this difficult time, and to all that knew Wil. Rest In Peace, Wil. We love you. Contributions in honor of Wil can be made to the Leacox Family Music Education Scholarship through the link provided: https://bit.ly/3saYtKG

  • Lindsey Buckingham has just tagged on five new U.S. dates to his upcoming spring tour.
    • JUST ANNOUNCED: Lindsey Buckingham tour dates (subject to change):
      April 12 - Napa, CA - Uptown Theatre Napa
      April 13 - Monterey, CA - Golden State Theatre
      April 15 - Santa Barbara, CA - Lobero Theatre
      April 19 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
      April 27 - Charlottesville, VA - The Paramount Theater


  • Steve Winwood will not be opening for Steely Dan this spring. The band posted a message online, which reads: "Steely Dan has announced Snarky Puppy and Aimee Mann have joined as special guests on their "2022 Earth After Hours Tour." The 23-city outing will feature Snarky Puppy starting May 20th in Portland and opening on all dates through June 19th. Aimee Mann will join beginning June 21st in New York and perform on all dates through the end of the tour on July 3rd. Steve Winwood is no longer able to appear due to unforeseen circumstances."
    • There's been no reason given to why Winwood backed out of the tour.

  • Toto will replace Billy Idol as the opening act on Journey's upcoming tour. Idol, who is suffering from a chronic sinus infection which will require surgery in the coming days, said in a statement: "I am absolutely gutted that I won't be able to perform the upcoming dates with Journey as planned."
    • Journey and Toto kick off the 40-city tour on February 22nd at Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena.

Saweetie Collaborates With Tai'Aysha For Her Debut Music Video

Saweetie is featured in the debut video of Miami-based artist, Tai'Aysha.

Saweetie, who raps a verse on the track, said they had a lot of fun making the record and really tried to capture that feeling in the video.

The song, called "One Night Ting" is about cutting loose, letting go, and throwing yourself into the night. In a press statement, Tai'Aysha clarified that in her real life, she's never actually had a one-night stand. She said, she's tried but they always call or send her flowers the next day.

TL;DR:

  • Saweetie is featured in the debut video of Miami-based artist, Tai'Aysha.
  • The song, called "One Night Ting" is about cutting loose, letting go, and throwing yourself into the night.

University Offers First Ever Class On Taylor Swift

Everything you ever wanted to know about Taylor Swift is now available in a classroom.

New York University's Clive Davis Institute has introduced its first-ever course on Taylor Swift.

The class will cover her evolution as a creative music entrepreneur, as well as her songwriting. This semester's classes have already started and there is a long waitlist for the next one.

Swift has been invited to speak with the students, but has not been booked at this time.

In other Taylor Swift news: Thanks for the Holy Swift podcast, Swifties now have their own version of the daily word game, Wordle and it's called Tay-lordle.

The Swift-themed version of the game uses only five-letter words that are connected directly to Taylor.

TL;DR:

  • New York University's Clive Davis Institute has introduced its first-ever course on Taylor Swift.
  • The class will cover her evolution as a creative music entrepreneur as well as her songwriting.
  • Swift has been invited to speak to class.

Alesso To Join Bad Bunny On Tour

After recently celebrating the chart topping, "When I'm Gone," with Katy Perry, Alesso is making plans to hit the road.

The Grammy nominated artist will join Bad Bunny on 14 of his North American dates. The World's Hottest Tour kicks off May 25 in Miami.

His collaboration with Perry set things in motion for him to join her recently on Saturday Night Live. So far, the song has amassed nearly 80 million combined global streams.

When not on the road, Alesso will be playing several dates for his residency in Vegas which begins on March 26.

TL;DR:

  • Alesso will join Bad Bunny on 14 of his North American dates.
  • Tour kicks off May 25 in Miami.
  • Residency in Vegas begins on March 26.

Billie Eilish Announces Tour Pledge For A Healthy Planet

Billie Eilish is making a promise for her tour to be as planet friendly as possible.

For starters, she's working with her mom's nonprofit called Support + Feed and she pledges to eat one plant-based meal a day for 30 days in support of a healthier planet.

Each tour stop will also feature what she calls an Eco-Village, where local environmental nonprofits can set up. She hopes that it inspires her fans to create change within each of their own communities.

Charity Platinum Tickets are available for each of Eilish's shows, and 100 percent of the net proceeds from each ticket will be donated directly to Support + Feed. The organization recently teamed with Wicked Kitchen to provide 100,000 meals to help feed those in need.

TL;DR:

  • Billie Eilish is working with her mom's nonprofit called Support + Feed.
  • She pledges to eat one plant-based meal a day for 30 days in support of a healthier planet.
  • Each tour stop will also feature an Eco-Village, where local environmental nonprofits can set up.

Todd Rundgren News Roundup

Todd Rundgren is headlining the new Beatles' tribute tour, dubbed "It Was Fifty Years Ago Today: A Tribute To The Beatles." The trek will also feature Moody Blues and Wings co-founder Denny Laine, Badfinger's Joey Molland, Christopher Cross, former Chicago bassist Jason Scheff, and Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus. The ensemble will be tackling material from the "Fab Four's" 1965 Rubber Soul and 1966 Revolver albums.

As of now, the tour kicks off on March 1st at Montclair, New Jersey's Wellmont Theater and runs through March 27th when it hits Kansas City, Missouri's Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Todd Rundgren, who first toured as part of Ringo Starr's All Starr Band in 1992, made no bones to us about where his allegiance lies as a Beatles fan: "Well, my favorite Beatle is Ringo, now that I've worked with him. He's just the easiest to get along with (laughs). I haven't been much of a Paul McCartney soloist fan, and John Lennon hasn't done any recordings in a real long time."

Denny Laine shed light on his relationship with the Beatles prior to becoming Paul McCartney's right-hand-man for a solid decade: "You gotta remember, I spent a lot of time with the Beatles. They used to come over to our house and play us their demos, and we used to go over to their houses. I was at John (Lennon's) house when they got back from Shea Stadium to watch that footage."

JUST ANNOUNCED: The "It Was Fifty Years Ago Today: A Tribute To The Beatles" tour dates (subject to change):

March 1 - Montclair, NJ - The Wellmont Theater
March 2 - Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
March 3 - Ridgefield, CT - Ridgefield Playhouse
March 5 - Atlantic City, NJ - Sound Waves at The Hard Rock Hotel
March 6 - Westbury, NY - NYCB Theater at Westbury
March 7 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Center for the Arts
March 8 - Annapolis, MD - Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts
March 9 - Medford, MA - Chevalier Theater
March 10 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
March 11 - Staten Island, NY - St. George Theater
March 12 - Jim Thorpe, PA - Penn's Peak
March 14 - Newport, KY - PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION
March 16 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
March 17 - Tallahassee, FL - The Moon
March 19 - Lake Charles, LA - Golden Nugget
March 20 - Dallas, TX - Majestic Theater
March 23 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Broward Center for the Arts
March 25 - Bonita Springs, FL - SW Florida Event Center
March 27 - Kansas City, MO - Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

IN OTHER TODD RUNDGREN NEWS

Out now is the Todd Rundgren tribute album, Someone/Anyone?, which was spearheaded by producer Fernando Perdomo. The two-CD set covers the entirety of Rundgren's watershed 1972 double-album, Something/Anything?, and features performances by such notables as Marshall Crenshaw, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' co-founding drummer Stan Lynch, Kasim Sulton of Utopia, Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater, the Smithereens' Dennis Diken, Van Duren, Carmine Appice, Carole King and Gerry Goffin's daughter Louise Goffin, along with Darian Sahanaja, Probyn Gregory, and Rob Bonfiglio from the Brian Wilson band, among others.

Famed power pop author Ken Sharp also contributed to the new set and spoke about what fans can expect: "Todd Rundgren's Something/Anything? album is considered one of the greatest double albums in rock n' roll history. It's the album where he really became this mad scientist in the studio doing most of the instrumentation. And the Someone/Anyone? tribute album is a reimagination of the album; but what makes it really special is it's not a karaoke version of the album. All the artists put their own stamp on it."

For more info on Someone/Anyone? -- log on to: https://bit.ly/3olbU9z

The Kinks' Dave Davies Turns 75!!!

Happy Birthday to Kinks co-founder and lead guitarist Dave Davies who turns 75 today (February 3rd)!!! 2021 saw the 50th anniversary release of the Kinks' 1970 classic Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One -- better known as Lola. The album was issued as a multi-format release, including a "Deluxe Box Set," vinyl, Deluxe double-CD, single CD, and available across digital formats.

In 2018 Davies made another deep dive into his personal vaults for the new album Decade, chronicling his unreleased music recorded between 1971 and 1979. The previous year, Davies released his latest album, titled Open Road, a collaborative venture between him and son Russ Davies. The collection marked Dave's first studio set since 2014's critically acclaimed Rippin' Up Time album. During a recent chat, Dave told us that he and brother Ray Davies had completed a set of demos for the first new Kinks project since the band's last album, 1994's To The Bone.

Back on December 18th, 2015, Ray and Dave Davies finally performed onstage together for the first time since disbanding nearly 20 years previously. Older brother Ray joined Dave and his band at London's Islington Assembly Hall for a runthrough of the Kinks' 1964 breakthrough hit "You Really Got Me." The following day, Dave posted on Twitter: "We had a great night -- it was a fun show -- had a blast with Ray."

Dave Davies explained to us the diversity of the Kinks' sound: "I always think that that was the really important thing about Kinks music in general -- is that it's so diverse. And I think it's worked against us as well, with record companies sometimes expecting to hear two songs and that dictates the theme and the sound of the whole album -- especially in the '70s and '80s. God!"

Dave Davies says that the ethos that drove the Kinks' best work now informs his own live shows: "Me and Ray have always tried to keep integrity into the music over the years and all the albums, and I'd like to keep the honesty in the live shows, as well. 'Cause people pick up on it, y'know, and trying to uplift people and make 'em laugh and make 'em happy and inspire them."

In 2011, it was first announced that Davies and Kinks drummer Mick Avory were busy compiling a new Kinks album, which may feature the first new music from the band in over two decades. Although work continues on the set, no release date has been announced.

Flashback: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, & 'The Big Bopper' Remembered

It was 63 years ago today (February 3rd, 1959) that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a plane crash after a performance in Clear Lake, Iowa. The three had been performing along with Dion & The Belmonts as part of the Winter Dance Party Tour, which would cover 24 cities in a short three-week period from January 23rd to February 15th. Holly, who had parted ways with longtime backing group the Crickets the previous year, was backed up by a then-unknown Waylon Jennings on bass, Carl Bunch on drums, and Tommy Allsup on lead guitar.

Dion DiMucci says that although the shows were always hot, his favorite moments from the tour were jamming on the near freezing bus on the way to the next town: "Well, we used to play in the back of the bus -- Ritchie Valens, myself and Buddy Holly. The Big Bopper didn't join in, he sat in the front with his beer. But we would rock in the back of the bus. You talk about tapes -- I wish there was a tape going on."

Throughout the tour, the musicians' bus was either breaking down or often without heat. At one point, it was so cold that the tour's drummer developed frostbite, resulting in the Belmonts' Angelo D'Aleo -- as well as Valens -- serving double-duty by filling in on drums. When the tour finally arrived at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa on February 2nd, 1959, Holly had made plans to fly out to the next city directly after the show, rather than brave the unheated 430-mile bus trip to Moorhead, Minnesota. He had hoped to get to their next stop with time to rest and do his laundry.

Dion says that the time he spent with Holly has left a deep and lasting impression on him, and he remembers him as a man wise beyond his years: "I spent two weeks with him. And he was very mature for his age. I mean, I was 19 -- he was 22. He was a very decisive guy. I don't know if it was his upbringing, but I couldn't make decisions that fast. I mean. . . Well, he rented a plane! At 22 years old, 'O.K. listen' -- y'know, he was recruiting people -- 'Let's fly out and we'll just split it.' But you think of a 22-year-old chartering a plane, that was his kind of personality."

Holly chartered a plane to fly him and his band to Fargo, North Dakota, near Moorhead. Jennings and Allsup gave up their seats to Richardson and Valens. Dion was supposed to be on the plane rather than Valens, but balked when he heard that his share would be a whopping $36 -- the exact amount of his parents' monthly rent back home in the Bronx. When Holly learned that Jennings wasn't going to fly, he said, "Well, I hope your old bus freezes up!" Jennings responded, "Well, I hope your plane crashes!" This friendly banter would haunt Jennings for years. Valens, who was sick, told Allsup, "I'll flip you for the remaining seat." On the toss of a coin, Allsup lost the seat -- but won the rest of his life.

The red Beechcraft Bonanza took off from Mason City, Iowa, ten miles east of Clear Lake, at around 1:50 a.m. on February 3rd, 1959. A cold wind immediately gave way to snow, which drastically reduced visibility. The ground was already blanketed in white. The pilot may have been inexperienced with the instrumentation.

The plane never made it to Minnesota.

Minutes after takeoff, one wing hit the ground and the small plane corkscrewed over and over. The three young stars and pilot Roger Peterson died immediately on impact. Over the years there has been speculation as to whether a gun was accidentally fired inside the plane, disabling or killing the pilot. The most logical explanation suggests that encased in a sea of white snow, Peterson simply flew the plane into the ground.

At the time of the crash, Buddy Holly was 22 years old. Ritchie Valens was 17, and the Big Bopper was 28.

Buddy Holly was born in Lubbock, Texas on September 7th, 1936 as Charles Hardin Holley. Although many of his greatest hits from the 1950s, such as "Peggy Sue," "Not Fade Away," "Every Day," "Maybe Baby" "Well... Alright," and "That'll Be The Day" have stood the test of time, Buddy's ultimate influence was not as a performer but as a songwriter. Buddy Holly helped spearhead a whole new genre, serving as a main inspiration for the next generation of rock songwriters including, most importantly, John Lennon & Paul McCartney, Gerry Goffin & Carole King, Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, Paul Simon, Pete Townshend, Brian Wilson & Mike Love, Ray Davies, and Bob Dylan.

Paul McCartney has long cited Buddy Holly as his main songwriting influence went on to purchase Holly's songwriting catalogue. He recalled the scene for him on February 3rd, 1959: "I remember being in my old school playground, getting there in the morning, and we used to have a little thing called 'Smoker's Corner,' where those of us who were about 15, 16, or something, would, y'know, think we were real hoods, smoke a quick Woodbine (cigarette) before we went to class early in the morning. And someone had a Daily Mirror -- and there, on the headline: 'Buddy Holly Died.' Oh my God. The rug was pulled out from underneath us. It was quite shocking. It's one of those events where people can remember where they were."

Graham Nash recalls how he and fellow Hollies co-founder Allan Clarke dealt with the news of Holly's sudden death: "I remember being on the street corner with my friend Allan Clarke, who later formed the Hollies with me -- my best friend at the time -- crying our eyes out. I mean we lost -- not only Buddy, but the 'Big Bopper' and Ritchie Valens. Y'know, I wasn't as much into their music, although I knew it, but I was totally involved in Buddy's music and we were crying our eyes out."

We asked Nash what he made of Holly upon first hearing him in 1957: "Unbelievable. He was one of us, he was a rock star that had glasses. It wasn't a sex thing, y'know, like Elvis (Presley) was with his swiveling hips. Buddy Holly touched people's hearts in how simple his music was and how attainable it was for everybody. I mean, who doesn't know a Buddy Holly song? I was looking the other day at The Rolling Stone 500 Best Songs Of All Time and he's got four of them in there! We called ourselves the Hollies for God sake. And he definitely without question influenced the Beatles."

Paul McCartney has without a doubt been the biggest champion for Buddy Holly's music over the decades: "It's great music, Buddy's. It's very evocative for those of us who were around then. Y'know, it really sums up the period. And a lot of it still plays now, still sounds good."

McCartney recalled that apart from songwriting, Buddy Holly actually inspired him and John Lennon in other ways: "The thing about Buddy was, whereas Elvis (Presley) was this unattainable, gorgeous, god; Buddy was the boy next door. And I remember John being particularly pleased -- he could now put his glasses on. 'Cause John had big horn-rimmed glasses that he always had to take off when we played or when there were girls around. John, of course couldn't see a bloody thing -- he really was very short-sighted -- so, he was very pleased when Buddy came around, 'cause he (could) actually put his horn-rims on and felt like a dude."

Back in February 1975 John Lennon premiered his covers album, Rock N' Roll on New York City's WNEW and shed light on re-recording a nearly-note perfect cover of Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue": "In fact, when I was doing it, I did Deja vu. It came back to me, I didn't even have to read the words, which I did on most of them. And this I was singing when I was 16, or something. And it's virtually how Buddy did it -- but not quite as good, but it'll do!"

One of McCartney's first major publishing acquisitions for his company MPL Communications was the Buddy Holly catalogue. Although McCartney has been outspoken regarding the use of his Beatles songs in advertisements and movies, he admits that its a slippery slope for him when dealing with Buddy's legendary tunes: "It really is very difficult. With the Buddy Holly stuff I do have the right to sort of let people use it, 'cause we're the publishers of that, we can do it. So I think, generally, I don't like it -- particularly with the Beatles stuff. I don't know, there might be people out there who say that you shouldn't do it with Buddy. I don't know, I've done it once or twice with him, but I don't really like doing it, I must admit. But you get your advisers saying, 'Okay, so you're going to turn down all that money, are you?' It's a very difficult decision, y'know? If I was being purist, I'd say, 'No one should do it.' I mean, my heart says that, but, y'know, you're not always as pure as you think."

At the Winter Dance Party's January 31st, 1959 stop at Duluth, Minnesota's National Guard Armory, a 17-year-old Bob Dylan was standing pressed up against the stage. At the 1998 Grammy Awards ceremony, while accepting his Album of the Year Grammy for Time Out Of Mind, Dylan paid tribute to Holly and spoke about the only time he saw his hero perform: "And I just wanted to say that one time when I was 16 or 17-years-old, I went to see Buddy Holly play, and I was three feet away from him. And he looked at me. I just have some kind of feeling that he was -- I don't know how or why -- but, I know he was with us all the time we were making this record in some kind of way."

Mick Jagger explained Buddy Holly's influence on all the future British Invasion rockers: "Every English person you talk to, from my generation, at least, will tell you that Buddy Holly was -- he was a big influence as a songwriter. And he wrote all these songs in a very short period of time, and they're all very simple. And he was very big in England, I think he toured only once; I saw him on stage. But he was a very big influence."

Keith Richards recalled that Buddy Holly was the prototype for the rock musician who could write, record, and perform their own material: "The beauty of Buddy's thing to me is the self-containedness of it all. He didn't need anybody else, he didn't need, y'know, songs, but just put it all together. He had a great band -- God knows how he got it together, but he was the first one to do it. I mean, until the Beatles turned up and Bob Dylan, who strengthened, y'know, writing your own material, nobody was in that position -- Elvis (Presley) hardly wrote a song in his life. Jerry Lee Lewis has written one, all the other guys didn't do it. And it was in that respect, Buddy was streets ahead of his time."

All three fallen stars, Holly, Valens, and Richardson, became far bigger in death than during their short careers. Although talented in his own right, Valens -- who had only one double A-sided hit with "La Bamba" and "Donna" -- was not yet a major star on Holly's level. The "Big Bopper" -- who in 1959 had written and produced Johnny Preston's 1960 Number One hit "Running Bear" -- was a novelty act whose day job was as an outlandish disc jockey. Although Valens' career might have gone on to reach further heights, it's more than likely that "The Bopper" would have remained more a rock "personality" than a musical force for the ages. Dying along with Holly made them both rock immortals.

Several films featuring the tragedy have been made over the years, including 1978's Oscar-nominated, but historically inaccurate, The Buddy Holly Story, and La Bamba, the 1987 biopic which chronicled Valens' life.

According to several sources, including Jennings, Holly's post-tour plans were to reconvene with the Crickets -- drummer Jerry "J.I." Allison and bassist Joe B. Mauldin -- and carry on with Allsup on lead guitar. Holly was also planning on starting his own record label -- Prism Records -- and signing Jennings as its first artist. J.I. Allison recalled the deal that he and Holly made prior to him moving to New York City in 1958: "The last time I saw Buddy as a matter of fact he said, 'O.K., if you're not gonna move to New York, y'all just work as 'the Crickets' and I'll work as 'Buddy Holly' and if it doesn't work out for either one of us we'll get back together, okay?' And we said 'Fine.' And Waylon told me that Buddy was talking to him on that last tour and said 'I'm going to get J.I. and Joe B. back.'"

Holly's widow, Maria Elena, who miscarried their child shortly after his death, recalls their time living in New York City as being an eye-opener for him as he explored the Greenwich Village folk scene and jammed most mornings with musicians at Washington Square Park, which was practically right outside his apartment building the Brevoort: "He really liked the excitement, and at that time that's where -- as they say, where the action was. New York at that time was for musicians. On top of that, that's where I'm from. That's where the Brevoort is on Fifth Avenue, close to Washington Square Park. And that was something that Buddy really enjoyed, because that's where he saw that he could start a new career."

She remembers Buddy performing for free, almost daily, with local musicians at the Park: "Right in the fountain -- y'know, they'd have the benches there in the morning. We'd walk to Washington Square Park, and that's where a lot of musicians congregated. Bud would sit with a guitar and start playing, and then all of a sudden you see all these people gravitating towards him. They'd say, 'Are you Buddy Holly -- 'That'll Be The Day'?' And then. . . little by little, we did that every day."

The Everly Brothers frequently hit the road with the other forefathers of rock n' roll, and both Don and Phil Everly struck up an immediate and close relationship with Buddy Holly. The late-Phil Everly, who was a pallbearer at Holly's funeral in 1959, recalled the scene of rock's earliest tours in an upcoming documentary called Inventing Rock N' Roll, produced by Everly Films: "The first time I met Buddy Holly was. . . Don and I joined a big package tour, y'know. . . I believe it was the Fats Domino tour. Everybody was on it -- it was something. And, what it was, everybody was down in the, like, locker rooms, like at a sports event y'know, with a -- everybody had a hook (laughs), y'know, for your wardrobe, and we all sat on benches and we were all in the same room and that's when we first met him. I was 18 at the time, so it was like going to college. Everybody was a contemporary and all that. It was like being in a fraternity (laughs), it was really, really something. We rode buses together on the tour and just was the best of. . . I always call it the golden age of rock."

Over the years, Buddy Holly's legend has continued to grow, with his music paving the way for the British Invasion and the burgeoning singer/songwriter movement of the late-'60s and the early-'70s. In 1971 Don McLean's Number One hit "American Pie" opened with the narrator learning the news of Holly's tragic death, coining the phrase "The Day The Music Died."

It's come to light in recent years that Ritchie Valens had a direct effect on the Southern, California rock scene of the 1960's. In the late-'50s Valens gave guitar lessons to Hawthorne's John Maus. The now departed Maus -- who later changed his name to John Walker upon forming the Walker Brothers -- in turn gave guitar lessons to future Beach Boys' Carl Wilson and David Marks.

Buddy Holly's music has lived on through various reissues over the years as well, with Paul McCartney buying his music copyrights in 1976 and starting the annual "Buddy Holly Week" every September 7th on Holly's birthday.

The Crickets -- led by J.I. Allison and Sonny Curtis -- finally called it quits in 2016, the year after bassist Joe B. Mauldin's death.

J.I. Allison told us that even now his biggest wish is to spruce up Holly's final recordings that he recorded in his New York City apartment, in the weeks before he died. The 14 tunes include "Peggy Sue Got Married," "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" and others that have been overdubbed by additional musicians over the years: "I think it would be great fun to go do that, and, and I think those are some of the best songs Buddy ever wrote. The tape machine he did that on was the same machine that we recorded 'That'll Be The Day' and 'Peggy Sue' and, you know, all those things (on). The quality of 'The Apartment Tapes' was great!"

Recently released is Buddy Holly With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: True Love Ways. The collection, which comes on the heels of similar sets by the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, and Aretha Franklin, features a dozen of Buddy Holly's classic hits utilizing his original vocals with newly overdubbed backing tracks. The album is available now digitally and for pre-order on CD and two-LP vinyl.

The tracklisting for Buddy Holly With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: True Love Ways is: "True Love Ways," "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," "Everyday," "Heartbeat," "Raining In My Heart," "Oh Boy!," "Rave On," "Words Of Love," "That'll Be The Day," "Peggy Sue," "Moondreams," and "Maybe Baby."

Adele Addresses Rich Paul Rumors, Reportedly Ends Residency For Good

Adele attempted to put the rumors that she and boyfriend Rich Paul are on the rocks in her latest Instagram post.

Last month, Page Six reported that that the singer was struggling to make it through rehearsals for her Las Vegas residency because she was constantly "shouting and sobbing" on the phone Paul.

On Tuesday (Feb 1st), the "Hello" singer took to Instagram to share the news that she will be performing at the Brit awards on February 8th. She ended her post with, "Oh, and Rich sends his love black heart emoji."

Although she initially announced that her residency at the Colosseum theater would only be postponed, sources say that the show is done for good.

Las Vegas-based journalist Scott Roeben tweeted Tuesday (Feb. 1st), "Industry source believes Adele's residency is done at Caesars Palace, as all preparations for the production have stopped, the sets have been loaded out and there's no activity related to addressing concerns that presumably led to the cancellation.

"The sound system Adele and her team insisted upon is being taken out, the original equipment is being re-installed. Source believes Adele may be picked up by Park MGM (Dolby Live) or Resorts World, but doesn't think she'll return to Caesars Palace. A costly debacle."

Graham Nash Turns 80!!!

Happy Birthday to Graham Nash who turns 80 today (February 2nd)!!! Nash heads back on the road on March 2nd playing Collingswood, New Jersey's Scottish Rite Auditorium. Nash's road dates feature just him, Shane Fontayne -- Crosby, Stills, & Nash's longtime road guitarist, and keyboardist Todd Caldwell.

Nash announced yesterday (February 1st) that he would be following bandmate Neil Young in pulling his music off the Spotify streaming service.

The statement reads in full:

Having heard the Covid disinformation spread by Joe Rogan on Spotify, I completely agree with and support my friend, Neil Young and I am requesting that my solo recordings be removed from the service.

There is a difference between being open to varying viewpoints on a matter and knowingly spreading false information which some 270 medical professionals have derided as not only false but dangerous. Likewise, there is a difference between misinformation, in which one is unaware that what is being said is false, versus disinformation which is knowingly false and intended to mislead and sway public opinion.

The opinions publicized by Rogan are so dishonest and unsupported by solid facts that Spotify becomes an enabler in a way that costs people their lives.

Graham Nash, who published his latest photo book, A Life In Focus, in November, currently has three new projects in the work; a new original solo set, a live album comprised of recent performances of his first two albums -- 1971's Songs For Beginners and 1974's Wild Tales, along with a reunion with fellow Hollies co-founder and childhood friend Allan Clarke.

Last month, Graham Nash slammed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for using his song "Chicago" to promote an anti-vaccination rally on January 23rd. A portion of the song is used in a promotional video on the Children's Health Defense site. Nash's chorus -- featuring the hook line "We can change the world" -- is clearly heard in another song titled "Heart Of Freedom," which claims that the lyrics were penned by RFK Jr.

On January 22nd, Nash posted a message on Instagram writing: "The use of my song 'Chicago; by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s Children's Health Defense movement in a video to promote his organization's rally in Washington, D.C. tomorrow (January 23rd) is not authorized, and I am taking steps to cause the cessation of its use. I do not support his anti-vaccination position as the history of the efficacy of the Covid 19 vaccines is well documented."

In October 2021, Graham Nash released a new track and video, titled "Vote," in the lead-up to the November 3rd presidential election. The two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer told Rolling Stone, "I wanted to make sure that people understood that there were many people hitting rock bottom. And because this new Covid relief bill hasn't been signed yet, there are people that are going to be made homeless, who will starve and won't have enough money for rent and meds. It's crazy."

In 2021 Nash compiled and produced Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young's critically lauded "50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition" box set for the group's 1970's Déjà Vu.

2018 saw Nash's 30-track career retrospective, titled Over The Years. The set features tracks from Crosby, Stills, & Nash; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Crosby & Nash; and Nash on his own. The collection's second disc features a selection of Nash's personal demos of his best-known tracks taped between 1968 and 1980. In 2016, Nash received raves for his latest solo set, This Path Tonight, along with glowing reviews for his ongoing scaled back live dates.

Perhaps the biggest shakeups of Graham Nash's life these days are the end of his marriage to wife, the late-Susan Sennett after nearly four decades and three adult children together, his new marriage with writer/actress Amy Grantham, and the crumbling of his partnership with David Crosby. Nash's ongoing issues with Crosby seem to have marked the end of CSNY. Nash revealed to the Dutch magazine Lust For Life that his relationship with Crosby is virtually non-existent at this point and that CSNY are effectively over.

In an exclusive interview, we pushed Nash on what, if any, future CSNY might have as a working unit: "In my world, there will never, ever be a CSNY record, and there will never, ever be another CSN record or show. Y'know, I let people play their hand right in front of me and I let them do it and then I make a decision. How can I not be sad? Look at the music we probably lost? Right now I don't want anything to do with David Crosby at all. It's just that simple."

Although both Neil Young and David Crosby have openly made positive comments regarding a possible CSNY reunion, the usually outspoken Nash has stayed mum.

Back in 2015, Graham Nash compiled the group's Top 20 live archival release CSNY 1974. Among the many highlights featured on the third Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young live set are "Teach Your Children," "Love The One You're With," "Deja vu," "Old Man," "Carry Me," "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Long May You Run," "Almost Cut My Hair," "Immigration Man," "Helpless," "Long Time Gone," "Pre-Road Downs," "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," "Guinevere" "Chicago," "Wooden Ships," "Ohio," and "Our House," among many others.

In 2013, Nash published his long-awaited autobiography, called, Wild Takes: A Rock & Roll Life, and hit the road for a brief solo tour.

In 2010, along with the rest of the Hollies, Nash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The occasion marked Nash's second entrance into the Hall, having already been inducted with CSN back in 1998.

Graham Nash told us prior to their 2010 Rock Hall induction, that if any English rock group deserved Hall of Fame status -- it's gotta be the Hollies: "I'm old enough now to realize and look at my history so far. The Hollies were so influential in the early-'60s through the '60s. Very, very, influential. We were probably one of the very first bands to ever use three-part harmony constantly. I mean, even the Beatles were two-part most of the time. The Hollies were a fabulous band. Maybe they weren't 'cool,' but by the time I'd left we'd had 18 Top 10 hits. I mean, how many do the Kinks have? How many did everybody else have that's in (the Rock Hall)? I think the Hollies deserve to be in there."

Nash was born in Blackpool, England and raised in Manchester. It was there that he co-founded the Hollies in 1962 with childhood friend Allan Clarke. Following his departure from the group in 1968, Nash teamed up with David Crosby, who had recently left the Byrds, and former Buffalo Springfield guitarist Stephen Stills -- who along with occasional member Neil Young -- have gone on to form one of the most important and lasting rock partnerships of the past 50 years.

Although CSN's music and career choices have been analyzed and second-guessed by fans and journalists alike, Nash says he's been fortunate to have never taken himself that seriously: "You just can't spend too much time thinking in those terms, y'know, about how significant you are. You're not, y'know? This is not brain surgery or astrophysics or Mozart -- this is a very simple form of music that moves a great many people, and I'm glad to be a part of it."

Nash, who became an American citizen in 1978, has spent decades fighting for global human rights and social programs that will help leave a better world for the following generations. He told us that he never takes for granted the freedoms afforded him by being an American: "It's amazing to live in a country like this where at least I'm allowed to speak my mind. Some of the things that this band says, we could've gotten into deep trouble about had we not been in America. We couldn't have done this in other countries -- they wouldn't have allowed us. But at least we live -- and we are privileged to live -- in America, where we can speak our minds. Nobody has to agree, and in fact, nobody has to listen, but I have to speak my mind."

Haily Bieber Will No Longer Comment On Personal Life

Hailey Bieber will no longer be commenting on her personal life, including discussing her marriage to Justin Bieber.

The model explained her reasoning to WSJ Magazine, saying, "The media loves to take a tiny little blurb of something for clickbait," and added, "the media has always been a disgusting thing."

She continued, "Behind closed doors, we're two really normal people that just have not-normal lifestyles and careers. I think given the magnitude of Justin's career, he's a very normal person, and I don't think that always happens."

Despite her new policy, she did let the magazine in on a bit of personal information. Hailey revealed that she and her famous hubby will "ideally" start trying for kids "in the next couple of years."

The Beatles' 'Get Back' DVD / Blu-ray Delayed

The DVD and Blu-ray release of director Peter Jackson's The Beatles: Get Back has been delayed. The Fest For Beatles Fans sent out a mailer telling fans that the February 8th release has been pushed back. The Fest, which is the largest online distributor of Beatles products, posted: "Disney has delayed the release of these much anticipated releases. As soon as we get the official word, we will let you know when they will be coming out. We are making an assumption, that they will be manufacturing a lot more copies of both formats, now that they see the high demand for them."

According to some reports, the release could be delayed until September. At the recent theatrical screenings of the "Fab Four's" complete rooftop performance, Peter Jackson urged fans to lobby Disney to release his "director's cut," which had had previously revealed was an astounding 18 hours long.

During a chat with BBC radio, Paul McCartney spoke about Peter Jackson's Get Back movie, and admitted that he was worried the raw footage would find the "Fab Four" at their end of their tenure, angry, and exhausted with one another: "He got back to me and said, 'No -- it's a laugh. It's just four guys working -- and y'know, you can see you making up songs, and George (Harrison) wonderin' about the lyric to 'Something in the way she moves' -- or me trying to figure out 'Get Back.' And he's shown me little bits and pieces of it and it's great -- I love it, I must say, 'cause it's how it was. It just reminds me -- even though we had arguments, like any family -- that we loved each other, y'know, and it shows in the film. It's a very warm feeling -- and it's amazing just being backstage with these people making this music that turned out to be good."

Charlie Puth Is A Beat Boxing Fox In Frito-Lay's Super Bowl Ad

Charlie Puth is the voice of a beat boxing fox in a Super Bowl ad for Frito-Lay.

The 30-year-old singer will represent the Flaming Hot Cheetos and Doritos brands alongside Megan Thee Stallion, who will be transformed into a songbird for the commercial.

He told Billboard, "The premise is that all these animals eat these Flamin' Hot products and they become musically active, they start harmonizing and being in synch and perfect tempo with each other and that's what happened to me life as well. I have some Cool Ranch Doritos and I'm off to the races writing 5 songs."

Eddie Vedder Talks Hanging With Bono, Learning From Kurt Cobain

Eddie Vedder is heading out on the road tomorrow night (February 3rd) in support of his new solo set, Earthling. Vedder kicks off the nine-date run at New York City's Beacon Theatre.

While chatting with The New York Times, the Pearl Jam frontman recalled discussing his and the band's career with U2's Bono, who had very specific opinions and advice for Vedder, recalling, "I've had conversations with Bono back in the day. He was suggesting that we needed to work harder and that you didn't want rock n' roll to become a niche. He said that when U2 makes a record, it's like they've got a racehorse and they don't just want the horse in the race, they want to win the race. I said we race the horse and then we let the horse run free. I wasn't trying to be clever. That was the truth. He was frustrated with me. But the dream was to be in a group that toured and recorded, and we were okay with things being scaled down if that allowed the dream to survive."

He explained that he's aware of the affect Pearl Jam has had on its fans: "People tell me powerful stories about what the music means to them, so, in that way, I know what they get out of it. When people tell me that stuff, I don't feel like I should get credit. They'll say that a song helped them, but, ultimately, I'm like: 'You did it.' Really all I can do is hope that other people appreciate the music that I like."

Regarding his connection to fellow Seattle legend Kurt Cobain, Vedder admitted, "I didn't know Kurt that well. We had a few hangs. I'm grateful for those or those phone messages or being in the same room every once in a while, but it would be offensive to claim that I knew him more than I did."

Vedder went on to say that seeing how Cobain and Nirvana looked at celebrity with a mixture of distain, confusion, and disinterest helped the guys in Pearl Jam come to terms with their own success: "That was naturally how we felt. I know it's how I felt. But I think that his attitude made it okay to feel that way because he was the guy in the biggest spotlight. If he would've totally embraced all that stuff, it might have made me think, like, you better embrace this (expletive), too. You couldn't argue that he wasn't the figurehead of that whole thing. That's probably one of the things that bummed him out the most."

Like Bono, there are numerous causes that Eddie Vedder supports. But ultimately, he believes it's more effective to get people involved and registered to vote than it is to preach from the stage: "I've always been wary (of) speaking from some kind of a podium as a singer in a rock band. First of all, I think it's ridiculous that it should be left to singers of rock bands to bring up these issues. But then again, the arts are always going to reflect society, and there could be a responsibility there."

John Mellencamp Spotlights Bruce Springsteen: 'Guitarist'

John Mellencamp is proud of that fact that Bruce Springsteen offered up some killer guitar work on his newly-released album, Strictly A One-Eyed Jack. "The Boss" is featured on three tracks in total -- both singing and on guitar.

We caught up with Mellencamp who shed light on how the joint sessions went down: "He's playing guitar on '(A) Life Full Of Rain' -- he's playin' the lead. 'Cause Bruce started out as a lead guitar player -- he wasn't so much the singer of the band as he was the guitar player. So he had that ability to play that type of guitar. Y'know, we didn't know what he was gonna do. He just showed up, I said, 'Whaddya think about singin' a duet on this song?' -- and he goes 'Sure.'" SOUNDCUE

Rihanna 'Couldn't Be Happier' About Pregnancy

A source close to Rihanna and ASAP Rocky says the singer "couldn't be happier" to be having her first child. The source told People, "Having a baby is something she was never focused on, but being with Rocky opened her up to the idea. She couldn't be happier and is so excited to be a mom."

She continued, "She's loving all the changes to her body during pregnancy and has always celebrated pregnant women in her runway shows for Fenty." The insider added, "They're just like any other pair of parents-to-be. Yes, they happen to be famous but they're just the cutest, giddiest young couple that's expecting kids."

Meanwhile, another source revealed that RiRi and A$AP "live together now and seem beyond happy."

RiRi's dad Ronald Fenty is also excited, telling Page Six, "I'm ecstatic. I'm so happy that I jumped for joy. I'm still so excited. Fenty continued, "Rihanna always said that she wanted children, she loves kids. She always takes care of her cousins' kids…she's going to be a good mom." Fenty said that he found out the big news on Sunday (January 30th) before the couple announced the news to the world.

Unseen 1969 Rolling Stones Footage Unearthed

Some amazing unseen footage of the Rolling Stones performing on November 30th, 1969 in Florida at the West Palm Beach International Music and Arts Festival has just been posted online by The Associated Press. The nearly 10-minute clip shows the band -- along with then-road manager Sam Cutler -- arriving at the Palm Beach International Raceway, with portions of six of the set's 13 songs -- "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Stray Cat Blues," "Midnight Rambler," "Gimme Shelter," "Live With Me," and "Little Queen."

The West Palm Beach Show has been available on bootleg for years and took place the day after the original end of the Stones' historic 1969 North American tour. Following the tour's official wrap, the Stones performed at the festival and six days later played their infamous free concert at the Altamont Speedway in Livermore, California, which resulted in the murder of concert-goer Meredith Hunter by Hells Angel Alan Passaro.

On November 26th, 1969 the Stones met with the press in New York City with Mick Jagger and bassist Bill Wyman making light of their celebrity: (Reporter): Are you any more satisfied now, as far as your career goes? (wild laughter) (Mick Jagger): D'you mean sexually or, or philosophically? (Reporter): Both. (Jagger): I -- yeah, we're more satisfied now sexually. (Bill Wyman): It depends on what happens tonight. (wild laughter) (Reporter): How about philosophically and financially? (Jagger): Financially -- dissatisfied. Sexually -- satisfied. Philosophically -- trying."

We asked Keith Richards to recall his life in and around the time of the band's golden period of the late-'60s into the early-'70s: "You ask other people that (laughs), y'know? You can't describe your own wildness, but off and on, fairly (crazy). After all, you're a bunch of guys that are just thrown into the deep end. Nobody else knew what to do. Nobody had been through situations like this. You had to make things up as you went along (laughs). It was fun."

Billie Eilish Changes Hair Color Back To Black

Billie Eilish is back in black.

The "Bad Guy" singer shared an image of herself Tuesday (Feb. 1st) night sporting black hair and baby bangs. She captioned the Instagram post with a black square and commented, "she's back."

Eilish has a history of breaking the internet whenever she makes a drastic change to her hair color. When she debuted her platinum locks in March 2021, she broke Selena Gomez's record for reaching one million Instagrams likes in the shortest amount of time.

Flashback: 'The Midnight Special' Premieres On NBC

It was 39 years ago this week (February 2nd, 1973) that the late night rock show The Midnight Special premiered on NBC. The show's pilot had aired in 1972, and went on to create a buzz the next year when it followed late night king Johnny Carson. The Midnight Special originally aired at 1 a.m. on Saturday mornings, but when Carson scaled The Tonight Show down from 90 minutes to an hour, the show moved up to 12:30 a.m.

Among the major guests who performed during the show's first season were John Denver, the Everly Brothers, Cass Elliott, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Chapin, Helen Reddy, the Isley Brothers, the Stylistics, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers & the First Edition, Dionne Warwick, Al Green, the Bee Gees, Don McLean, Ike & Tina Turner, and many more.

The show went on to feature timeless performances by such heavyweights as Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Blondie, the Cars, Earth, Wind & Fire, Eddie Money, Electric Light Orchestra, Fleetwood Mac, Gordon Lightfoot, Heart, Helen Reddy, Jim Croce, KC & The Sunshine Band, LaBelle, Marvin Gaye, Captain & Tennille, Peter Frampton, REO Speedwagon, Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, the Village People, and countless others.

Paul Brownstein, who distributed the show for owner and producer Burt Sugarman, told author Ed Robertson, "Back then, a band would come to Los Angeles on Saturday and lip-sync their hit on American Bandstand, then go to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on Sunday and do Don Kirshner's Rock Concert -- which was syndicated. If they really wanted major television exposure, though, they'd have to go to NBC in Burbank and do The Midnight Special, because that was the only opportunity for a network TV gig at the time. They would perform with live vocals, and the concert would air that (Saturday morning) -- before a huge audience."

Over the years, most of the day's top rock, pop, and disco acts appeared on the stage -- with many acting as the revolving guest host. Celebrity DJ Wolfman Jack, who hosted many of the shows as well, was often on hand to introduce the groups and sometimes briefly interview them as well.

The Midnight Special was canceled in May 1981 and replaced with the Canadian comedy show SCTV Network 90, an expanded version of the popular SCTV. In 1997, VH1 aired many of The Midnight Special episodes, many of which hadn't been seen since their initial broadcast.

Out now on DVD is a highlights package, titled The Midnight Special Collector's Edition, is being sold in three different formats: 11-DVDs, six-DVDs, and a single DVD.

The deluxe 11-disc collection also includes rarely seen comedy performances from Richard Pryor, Billy Crystal, George Carlin, Andy Kaufman, Steve Martin, and Freddie Prinze, among others.

Blondie's co-founder and keyboardist Jimmy Destri credits Debbie Harry's movie star looks for keeping the band in step with cutting edge fashion -- a fact that was especially underlined on the band's TV appearances: "A major part of that was Debbie. When you've got somebody that looks like that in your band, you're sort of lifted up by the power of your lead person. y'know? You've gotta strive to look better and better. So we used to like really carefully try and put the persona on. Actually Clem said this a while back, when we had the reunion, he said, 'Well, look at us. . .' -- there was a picture of us without Debbie, like waiting for her, for her makeup, and we look like Oasis (laughs). Y'know?"

Nirvana Lawyers Ask Judge To Dismiss 'Nevermind' Baby Lawsuit

Nirvana members are asking that Spencer Elden's second amended complaint filed just last month should be tossed out by a judge, according to a new filing in Los Angeles federal court. Elden is the naked baby on the cover of the band's Nevermind album who sued the band as well as Kurt Cobain's estate for child sexual exploitation. Rolling Stone reports that Nirvana's lawyers wrote in their motion, "For Elden, this is strike three. This case must end."

Elden claims he couldn't consent to his image being used on the album art since he was only four months old at the time. He also said that his legal guardians didn't consent to it either. Elden says that the image is child pornograpy, adding that the band made a promise to cover his genitals with a sticker but it was never incorporated on the album cover, which has caused him to suffer lifelong damages.

A judge dismissed the case on January 3rd, but Elden's lawyers "filed a second amended complaint a week later that dropped a claim related to sex trafficking while adding more language to address alleged conduct within the last 10 years that would restart the 10-year statute of limitations on the child pornography claims," according to Rolling Stone.

Nirvana's new filing states, "Elden's decision to not sue these defendants for the past 30 years, despite his decades-long knowledge of their same and unvaried conduct, is dispositive of his claim. It is as simple as that."