Led Zeppelin fans now have a chance to get their hands on a guitar that was once owned by none other than Jimmy Page.
ATB Guitars is selling the 1969 Gibson Firebird III, which was purchased by Page from Mike Ladd's Guitar City in Memphis. The listing claims Page lost it to drummer John Bonham in a game of spoof; in 1978 Bonham gave it to his business partner, who kept it for 45 years and is now selling it.
It’s unknown whether Page used the guitar for any recordings. ATB does note that it has been refinished in black, and while they don’t see that any repairs have been made to it, the paint job “could be hiding something.”
As for the price tag, ATB is currently asking for over $78,000 for the axe.
Grammy-winning songwriter Cynthia Weil has passed away at the age of 82.
According to The Associated Press, Dr. Jenn Mann, the daughter of Weil and her husband and songwriting partner, Barry Mann, confirmed the news, sharing that Weil was “surrounded by family” when she passed away Thursday at her home in Beverly Hills. No cause of death was revealed.
Weil and Mann are best known for writing such classic songs as “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’,” made famous by The Righteous Brothers; “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” a hit for The Animals; Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again”; and “On Broadway."
The pair earned a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for their An American Tail song “Somewhere Out There,” a collaboration with James Horner. The tune, sung by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, went on to win Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for a Movie or Television.
Weil and Mann were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 as recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Award. In 1987, the couple was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2011 the organization awarded them the Johnny Mercer Award, the organization’s highest honor.
David Lee Roth has once again shared a new take on a classic Van Halen track. The latest song he’s decided to tackle is “Atomic Punk,” which originally appeared on the band's 1978 self-titled debut album.
This is the seventh time Roth has shared a solo version of a Van Halen song. He previously released "Unchained," "You Really Got Me," "Dance The Night Away," "Panama," "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" and "Everybody Wants Some!!"
All the tunes were recorded at Henson Studios in Los Angeles.
And speaking of Van Halen, the band’s second frontman, Sammy Hagar, recently shared a live recording of their OU812 hit “When It’s Love,” recorded in Oakland in 1985.
"'When It's Love' was the first song we wrote and recorded for OU812,” Sammy shares. “It was the first single and it was a top-five hit. certainly one of my favorite love songs of all time, I can't tell you how many fans have said they played it at their wedding."
June 2 would have been Charlie Watts’ 82nd birthday, and to mark the occasion the estate of the late Rolling Stones drummer is bringing him to social media, launching official Facebook and Instagram accounts.
“Charlie was too modest to embrace social media in his lifetime, so today we invite his fans to celebrate his huge musical contribution to the world of rock ’n’ roll, blues and jazz, and the wonderful man known and loved to the millions of fans around the world,” reads a post shared on the new accounts. “Please follow these accounts, and share your memories of the one and only Charlie Watts, who we miss every day and remember with much love.”
The post was accompanied by a video clip of Watts performing “Ain’t Nobody Minding Your Store,” recorded live in 1978 at Swindon Arts Centre in Swindon, England.
Members of The Stones also took to social media to remember Charlie.
Ronnie Woodposted a series of photos with Watts, sharing, “Remembering dear @thisischarliewatts on his birthday Thinking of you my friend,” while Keith Richardsalso posted some photos, writing, “For my much missed friend, Charlie Watts! Happy Birthday! Love, Keith.” And Mick Jaggershared his own photo, writing, “Happy birthday dearest Charlie. Love Mick.”
Charlie passed away August 24, 2021, at the age of 80.
Gov’t Mule’s new album, Peace…Like A River, is due out later this month, and they’ve just shared another track from the record.
The latest single is “Made My Peace,” which frontman Warren Haynes says “portrays the most Beatles influence we’ve ever utilized on a recording.”
“It deals with a lot of different aspects of what we’ve all gone through. It touches on the emotions I was having to get past with the loss of my dad, who was an extremely important figure in my life,” Haynes shares of the song. “There are several songs that reflect on loss, but more in a way of making the future count. Taking the rest of your life and looking at it with a fresher, more aggressively positive attitude.”
This is the third song Gov’t Mule has released from Peace…Like A River, following “Same As It Ever Was” and “Dreaming Out Loud.” The album, which drops June 16, is available for preorder now.
Ahead of the release, Gov’t Mule will launch their summer headlining tour on June 9 in Jacksonville, Oregon. A complete list of dates can be found at mule.net.
June 2 marks the 45th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s fourth studio album, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and The Boss is giving fans a new way to appreciate it.
To celebrate the milestone, Springsteen has released a new 20-song playlist from the 1978 Darkness tour, featuring performances that were previously unavailable to streaming platforms. The playlist includes every song from the classic album, plus other bonus material.
In addition, fans can celebrate the occasion by watching the 2010 Thom Zimny-directed documentary The Promise, which chronicles the making of the album, with a new trailer for the doc out now.
Released June 2, 1978, Darkness on the Edge of Town features several songs that went on to be Springsteen classics, including the title track, “Badlands,” “The Promised Land,” “Prove It All Night” and “Racing in the Streets." The album peaked at #5 on the album chart and has been certified three-times Platinum by the RIAA.
Darkness has gone on to appear on several best-of lists, including Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Times, landing at 91 in 2020.
June 1 marked the 50th anniversary of Paul McCartney and Wings' James Bond theme “Live And Let Die,” and the music legend is looking back on the track in the latest Q&A posted to his website.
McCartney says he can’t really believe it's been 50 years since the song's release, but admits “it's always very weird when you get these kind of anniversaries because I don't keep count.” He added, “It’s shocking really, but in a nice way. I think, ‘Where did the time go?’ It’s nice that the song has lasted though, and people still enjoy it.”
The song has become a staple in McCartney’s live set, complete with “big pyrotechnic explosions.” He says he loves “shocking people with the first bang,” but one time he thought that was going to be a problem.
Asked about his most memorable performance of the song, McCartney recalls an early performance where he saw a very old lady in the front of the audience.
“She was loving the show, and I'd started singing the opening lines of the song, ‘When you were young, and your heart was an open book…’ But then I looked at her and thought, ‘Oh God! We’re going to kill her! What do we do?'" he shares. “I carried on and got to the crucial bit, ‘Say live and let die’ and... BOOM! The explosions went off. I sheepishly looked over, expecting the worst, and she was going, ‘Yeah!’ She was loving it! So, we didn't kill her; we thrilled her!”
In honor of the anniversary, a new Dolby Atmos mix of "Live And Let Die" is out now. You can listen to it now via digital outlets.
Drummer Charlie Watts was born in London, England.
After getting his start playing blues and jazz, Watts joined The Rolling Stones in 1963, and remained with the group for 58 years until his death.
Watts, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are the only three members of the band who appear on every Stones album. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the band in 1989.
Watts played his final show with the Stones on August 30, 2019. It was announced in August, 2021 that he was going to sit out of the Stones’ No Filter tour due to heart surgery. He passed away on August 24, 2021 at the age of 80.
Watts' catalog of jazz recordings, covering a span of close to 20 years, is being celebrated with a new box set, Anthology, dropping June 30.
The Beach Boys' 1966 album, Pet Sounds, is often considered one of the best albums of all times, and now fans have a new way to experience it. For the first time ever, Pet Sounds has been released with a new mix in Dolby Atmos, courtesy of music producer Giles Martin, son of Beatles producer George Martin.
Giles, who’s responsible for recent Dolby Atmos mixes of Beatles anniversary releases, was personally asked by The Beach Boys to remix Pet Sounds; by doing so he’s retained the album’s classic feel, while giving fans an immersive music experience.
“Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys is a game changing, iconic album that changed the face of popular music,” Giles shares. “It’s a fascinating record because it’s really the workings of a genius, Brian Wilson, that sort of had boundless enthusiasm for ideas and textures.”
He adds, “Moving Pet Sounds to Dolby Atmos means those worlds can be fully immersive, you can be surrounded by them, you can hear instruments that you never heard before, that are on the record, but they are now in a space where you can identify them.”
Finally he notes, “For me to be asked by The Beach Boys to work on this album was a huge honor. I was surprised and excited to get a chance to work on one of the most iconic albums of all time.”
Released in May 1966, Pet Sounds features such classic Beach Boys songs as “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “God Only Knows,” “Sloop John B” and more. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA and in 2004 was chosen by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts are back with new music. The band just dropped the new digital EP, Mindsets, featuring six new tracks.
“The last several years have been tough ones on the whole world. These songs reflect the various ‘mindsets’ needed to make it through the day, the week, the year, or the next minute,” says Jett. “It’s a way to feel more connected to that big, beautiful, scary world out there, and in your head.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer adds, “The Blackhearts and I had an incredible experience writing, rehearsing, and recording these songs.”
The band has already released the first single from the record, "If You're Blue," and you can now listen to the entire EP via digital outlets.
Mindsets is the band’s first new music release since their acoustic album Changeup, which dropped in March, 2022.
Here is the track list for Mindsets:
“If You’re Blue”
“Whiskey Goes Good”
“Shooting Into Space”
“Rearview Mirror”
“Before the Dawn”
“(Make the Music Go) Boom”
Queen is back with episode 19 of their weekly YouTube series Queen The Greatest Live, and they are once again looking at what makes a great set list, this time focusing on adding deep cuts to a show.
Of course, every Queen concert will contain the hits like “We Will Rock You,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” etc., but with so much great music, Queen likes to throw in some album tracks that fans may not expect. In this episode they showcase a performance “Dragon Attack,” recorded at the Milton Keynes Bowl in Buckinghamshire, England on June 5, 1982.
“Dragon Attack” was featured on Queen’s 1980 album The Game, and was released as the B-side to “Another One Bites the Dust.” The band played the track live consistently between 1980 and 1985.
And coming up next week – “Is This the World We Created.”
While the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart is known for his music, when he’s not onstage he loves making art. His latest collection, the Art of Mickey Hart, is going to be on display in June at two Wentworth Gallery locations, with Mickey set to make appearances at both of them.
Mickey tells ABC Audio that his first interest in art was “quite accidental,” explaining that years ago while out shopping for a birthday gift for his young daughter he picked up an art kit and decided to bring it home.
“She didn't think much of it, but eventually I grabbed it and started using it,” he shares. “It was so sensuous; it was so attractive and it was so full of life that I just couldn't put it down.”
Mickey says art is like “a mediation for him,” adding that it’s a “visual component” to his “sonic-driven world.”
“Life is full of beautiful colors,” he says. “These things just start to appear to me and they come out on, on the canvas or the wood or plastic” or whatever other medium he may be using.
Mickey says he feels great making his art, noting, “It’s uplifting, you know, it’s life giving.” He adds, “It’s all of those things that art does.”
Mickey is set to appear at the Wentworth Gallery at Tysons Galleria in McLean, Virginia, on Sunday, June 4, at 2 p.m., followed by an appearance at the Wentworth Gallery at Short Hills Mall in New Jersey on June 23 at 6:30 p.m. More info on Mickey's appearances can be found at wentworthgallery.com.
Of course, he’s also currently on tour with Dead & Company. They play Bristow, Virginia, on June 3. A complete list of dates can be found at deadandcompany.com.
U2 is scheduled to open the new Las Vegas venue The MSG Sphere in September with their new residency, U2: UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere, and it appears Bono took it upon himself to check out the new digs.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the band's frontman was spotted visiting the venue last Saturday, while the band’s sound man of 45 years, Joe O’Herlihy, was spotted there Friday.
The outlet reports that Bono was there as they tested out the sound of the venue, with Madonna’s “Vogue” heard blasting through the sound system.
U2: UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere at The Venetian is set to kick off September 29 and run through December 16. A complete list of dates can be found at U2.com.
MILLIVANILLI, a documentary about the disgraced late '80s/early '90s pop duo, is coming to Paramount+.
The documentary will start streaming this fall on the platform after debuting at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10. It tells the story of two German models and dancers, Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, who were recruited by music producer Frank Farian to be the face of his recording project, Milli Vanilli.
Their debut album,Girl You Know It's True, sold six million copies and spun off three number one hits. In 1990, they won the Best New Artist Grammy. But when it emerged that the duo hadn't sung a note on the album and were simply lip-synching to tracks recorded by other singers, they were forced to return the award.
In a statement, director Luke Korenm says, "For over 30 years, the story of MilliVanilli – in particular Rob and Fab – has been reduced to sensational headlines. With this documentary, we pull back the curtain on pop music."
The movie features interviews with Rob, who died in 1998, and Fab, as well as with Frank Farian, the actual performers on the album, record executives and more.
“Finally – the true story of Milli Vanilli has been told!” says Fab in a statement. "I’m thankful Luke Korem and his team went to the lengths that they did. The journey I returned to during the filming of this documentary didn’t leave any stone unturned. At last I can close this chapter in peace … Get ready to take a walk in our steel-toe boots.”
Forbes is out with their list of America’s richest self-made women entrepreneurs, executives and entertainers, with Madonna, Dolly Parton and Barbra Streisand all nabbing spots on the list.
Madonna lands at #45 with $580 million, a number which is likely to increase with her upcoming Celebration tour, which kicks off July 15 in Vancouver.
Dolly, who last year was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, comes in at #59 with $440 million, while Babs, who in 2022 re-released her early live album Live at the Bon Soir, is close behind her at #61 with $430 mil.
The trio is just a handful of the famous names to make the list this year. Others include Oprah Winfrey at #13 with $2.5 billion, and Taylor Swift at #34 with $740 million.
