Classic Hits

If you’re an Alice Cooper fan, you know that the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is really into playing golf and has hosted a charity golf tournament for the past 27 years. But in a new interview, Alice says he only got into the sport because he needed something to distract him from his substance abuse.

Speaking to the Scott Mills Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, Alice explained, “I had to find an addiction that wasn’t gonna kill me because all my other ones were killing me. And I lived in Arizona, so I went, ‘Well, there’s 130 courses in Phoenix — I’ll try that.'”

“And I got addicted immediately,” he continued. “I hit two good shots and I went, ‘OK, I’m here.’ I play every morning.”

Asked if he plays with his “rock friends,” Alice dished, “Some of the guys can play. A lot of the guys really shouldn’t be on the golf course at all. You know, Meat Loaf should never have been on a golf course.” He added that Eddie Van Halen wasn’t exactly a whiz on the links either.

“So you played golf with Eddie Van Halen and Meat Loaf?” the deejay asked.

“Well, I played golf,” quipped Alice.

Alice and his original Alice Cooper Group recently released their first new album in over 50 years, The Revenge Of Alice Cooper.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Wanna learn how to play the iconic guitar solo in “Hotel California” from the guy who wrote it? Now’s your chance.

Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder is offering fans a chance to win an an all-expenses-paid trip to Nashville. During the trip the winner will receive a one-on-one lesson from him, as well as an Epiphone Double Neck SG guitar, a signed bass drum head and tickets to the Musicians Hall of Fame. You’ll also get a tour of the Gibson Guitar Vault and attend a Gibson showcase as Felder’s guest.

The Rock & Roll Retreat Sweepstakes is a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which treats childhood cancer and other diseases, and covers families’ treatment, travel, housing and other expenses.

“As a young child, I spent two and a half months in the polio ward where music on the radio was my lifeline,” Felder says in a statement. “Music gave me hope, freedom, and something to enjoy in such a scary place for someone just beginning their life. That’s where my love for music began—in a children’s hospital.”

“I was fortunate and only have minimal lasting effects. But so many children aren’t as lucky,” he adds. 

If you enter before Aug. 15, you’ll also get a chance to win an Epiphone Les Paul Standard 50s guitar.

You can register for the sweepstakes at donfelder.com/contests. You’ll receive one entry for every $50 you donate to St. Jude.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, Aug. 1, 1942…

Jerome John “Jerry” Garcia was born in San Francisco, California.

Co-founder of the legendary rock band the Grateful Dead, Garcia was the principal songwriter, lead guitarist and a vocalist for the group, and for many he was their de facto leader.

The Grateful Dead came to prominence during the counterculture of the 1960s, and went on to become one of the most beloved rock bands, especially among fans who would follow them across the country.

The Dead only had one Top 40 single throughout their career, 1987’s “Touch of Grey.” But their touring success was immeasurable, and they were one of the highest-grossing touring acts for decades. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Garcia struggled with diabetes later in life, and also struggled with addiction. He passed away from a heart attack on Aug. 9, 1955, at the age of 53.

This weekend, the Grateful Dead’s 60-year legacy will be celebrated in San Francisco, the city where they were formed. Dead & Company, which features founding members of The Dead Bobby Weir and Mickey Hart, are headlining three nights at the city’s Golden Gate Park, Aug. 1, 2 and 3.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

One of Madonna’s classic hits is all dressed up for its 40th anniversary.

“Dress You Up” was the final single to be released from Madonna’s album Like a Virgin: It dropped on July 31, 1985. Now, it’s been rereleased as part of a three-song digital single: It includes the “Dress You Up” remix/edit, a “12-inch Formal Mix” and a “Casual Instrumental Mix.”

Madonna has dedicated this release of “Dress You Up” to Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi, a couple who worked with Mattel designing custom Barbie dolls, including several Madonna ones. Tragically, the two died in a head-on collision on an Italian highway on July 27. 

A press release reads, “Thank you for dressing up so many of your creations in Madonna iconic looks over the years.”  The official Barbie Instagram account wrote, “Their spirit and love for the brand turned every creation they touched into a masterpiece.”

Madonna is currently at work at what she’s hinted will be a sequel to her 2005 album Confessions on a Dance Floor.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Foghat‘s 1975 album Fool for the City, which gave us both the classic title track and their signature song “Slow Ride,” is getting a 50th anniversary reissue.

Available on double CD and double vinyl, the package includes a remastered version of the original album, as well as a second disc of live tracks from a 1975 show at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom. The CD includes two bonus tracks not included on the vinyl — including a live cover of Chuck Berry‘s “Maybellene” — plus an interview with the band’s Roger Earl and Nick Jameson about the making of “Slow Ride.” 

The package was mixed, mastered and produced by Nick Jameson, who also produced the original album. You can preorder both versions now; they ship on Sept. 12, just a few days before the anniversary of the album’s release.

Fool for the City was the British rockers’ first album to be certified RIAA Platinum. On Aug. 6, Earl and Jameson will appear on TalkShop.Live’s Rock & Roll Channel to talk about the album and the new package. You can preorder autographed versions of the CD and vinyl now via TalkShop.Live.

Foghat launches a tour Aug. 9, and they’re offering their fans a chance to win a trip to Las Vegas for the band’s Sept. 13 show. All you have to do is design your own version of the cover of Fool for the City, which shows Earl sitting on a crate in the middle of a New York City street, fishing down a manhole. You can download the original background now and submit your design to Foghat’s website by Aug. 15.

Here’s the reissue track listing:

Original album:
“Fool For The City”
“My Babe”
“Slow Ride”
“Terraplane Blues”
“Save Your Loving (For Me)”
“Drive Me Home”
“Take It Or Leave”

1975 live show:
“Fool For The City”
“Home In My Hand”
“My Babe”
“Honey Hush”
“Slow Ride”
“I Just Wanna Make Love To You”
“Wild Cherry”*
“Maybellene”*
*CD only

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The lives and music of late Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Michael Jackson and Jimmy Buffett will be celebrated in August with festivals in the cities that loved them.

The Jackson family’s hometown of Gary, Indiana, will hold the 2300 Jackson Street Block Party Aug. 29-30, celebrating MJ’s birthday and the Jackson family’s legacy. It’ll take place at the city’s Roosevelt High School, where the Jackson 5 first gained recognition by winning a talent show in 1966.

Actor and comedian Chris Tucker will host the event kickoff on Aug. 29, which would have been Michael’s 66th birthday. On Aug. 30, Jackson 5 members Jackie Jackson and Marlon Jackson will be present as the entire family is honored; the late Tito Jackson, who died in 2024, will be memorialized. That event will be hosted by fellow Gary native and “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” singer Deniece Williams.

Marlon Jackson said in a statement, “Gary will always be home to us. Being able to come back and celebrate with the people who knew us before we were famous, who watched us grow up on this street, is a blessing. This event is about family, community, and never forgetting where you came from.”

Meanwhile, the city of Key West, Florida, will mark the anniversary of Buffett’s death with Just a Few Friends, Key West, a tribute that will run from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1. While not officially sanctioned by Buffett’s family, the event will feature book signings, film screenings and panels. There will also be free concerts featuring past and present members of his Coral Reefer Band, as well as Buffett’s “Bubbles Up” co-writer Will Kimbrough.

Buffett died on Sept. 1, 2023. Michael Jackson died June 25, 2009.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Some big-name musicians guest star in the new Netflix streaming hit Happy Gilmore 2, but it’s the big names on the movie’s soundtrack who are reaping the benefits.

While Bad Bunny, Post Malone and Eminem all appear in the film, the soundtrack features a number of classic rock staples, which Billboard reports have received streaming bumps since the movie debuted July 25. The biggest winner is “Tuesday’s Gone,” the Lynyrd Skynyrd song that also appeared in the original Happy Gilmore film. 

Billboard reports that according to Luminate data, that song saw a 44% increase in streams in the film’s first four days of release. Streams of Foreigner‘s “Juke Box Hero” increased by 18%, while Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers‘ “The Waiting” earned a 15% bump. Another song, “Swingin’ Party” by The Replacements, more than doubled its streams.

Billboard didn’t provide streaming data on the other songs that appear in the film, which include “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” by The Bob Seger System, “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, “Wooly Bully” by Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, “Goodbye to You” by Scandal featuring Patty Smyth and “Magic” by Pilot.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Doors are currently celebrating their 60th anniversary, and guitarist Robby Krieger will mark the milestone with a special show at LA’s Greek Theatre.

Tickets for the Oct. 30 show go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time. According to an Instagram post, Krieger will be performing “Morrison Hotel, plus all of the Doors’ hits.” Opening for him will be the band Tripform, whose members include Pablo Manzarek, son of the late Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek.

Morrison Hotel, released in 1970, was the Doors’ fifth album. It features the well-known tracks “Roadhouse Blues,” “Waiting for the Sun” and “Peace Frog.”

According to Krieger’s website, the first 60 tickets sold will cost only $2.50. He notes, “Some of my close friends may also be making special appearances… you’ll have to wait & see!” It’s possible those “friends” may include Doors drummer John Densmore. He and Krieger are the only surviving members of the band; lead singer Jim Morrison died in 1971.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jackson Browne and Marshall Crenshaw are among the artists participating in Join Me in L.A.: The Songs of Warren Zevon, an October benefit concert that will raise money for the several charities, Variety reports.

The Oct. 24 event at LA’s United Theater is presented by Wild Honey Foundation and the Zevon Family. It will feature performances of 25 songs from the late Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. In addition to Browne and Crenshaw, the concert will feature many guest artists, plus some of Zevon’s collaborators, including his co-writer and producer Jorge Calderon and noted session bassist Leland Sklar, who played on multiple Zevon albums.

Browne produced Zevon’s 1976 self-titled album and co-produced his 1978 release, Excitable Boy, which featured the classic “Werewolves of London.”

Tickets go on sale Aug. 8. The proceeds will benefit the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, for which Zevon’s son, Jordan Zevon, is the national spokesperson. Zevon died of an asbestos-related illness, mesothelioma, in 2003 at age 56. Also benefiting will be the Ed Asner Family Center for the Autism Community.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, July 31, 1980…

During a benefit gig in Long Beach, California, Eagles members Glenn Frey and Don Felder spent the show detailing how they planned to beat each other up after it was over.

The show – now known as the “Long Night at Wrong Beach” – was a benefit for California Sen. Alan Cranston’s reelection campaign. The band basically split up after the gig, although they did go on to release a live album of the tour, Eagles Live, in order to fulfill their commitment to Elektra Records.

The band eventually reconvened in 1994, although Felder was kicked out of the group in 1999. Frey passed away in 2016, but the band continued on with Glenn’s son Deacon Frey and Vince Gill joining the group.

In July 2023, the Eagles announced they were going on their final tour, but they are still performing. They kicked off a Las Vegas residency at the Sphere in September 2024 and will return to the venue on Sept. 5, with shows scheduled through November. A complete list of dates can be found at eagles.com.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.