Classic Hits

On This Day, July 30, 1988 …

Former Traffic star Steve Winwood topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Roll With It,” the title track from his fifth studio album.

The track spent four weeks in the top spot and was one of two #1 hits Winwood would have during his solo career. The other was “Higher Love,” which topped the chart in August 1986.

While Winwood wrote “Roll With It” with Will Jennings, the performing rights organization BMI later gave the Motown songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland – Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Eddie Holland – credit, due to the song’s similarity to “(I’m a) Roadrunner,” which they wrote for Junior Walker.

“Roll With It” went on to earn Grammy nominations for record of the year and best male pop vocal performance. The album was also nominated for album of the year.

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Grahame Lesh is hosting a three-night concert series, The Heart of Town, to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead.

Lesh’s shows, taking place July 31-Aug. 2 at San Francisco’s Pier 48, coincide with Dead & Company’s three-night stand at Golden Gate Park Aug. 1-3. Lesh tells ABC Audio the weekend is about celebrating more than just the band’s music.

“The Grateful Dead is so all-encompassing,” Lesh, son of the late Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, says. “I think every aspect of the weekend is going to celebrate some aspect of the band.”

He adds, “It’s just become this whole Bay Area wide celebration of the band, of the music, of the community and, you know, of the area honestly, of the city itself.”

Artists on board to celebrate The Dead’s legacy include Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith of Dawes, John Medeski and Duane Betts, with Lesh noting it wasn’t hard to find artists who’ve been influenced by The Dead.

“That sort of like just opens up this whole world of people who love to play this music or love to play adjacent music or any sort of thing like that,” he says.

Lesh says his main goal with The Heart of Town is to put on a great show, but he hopes fans leave grasping the “breadth and the depth” of the Grateful Dead’s music and its community.

And when it comes to the set, fans may be in for some surprises.

“I’m planning to play some Dead songs that I’m sure Dead & Co. is not going to do,” Lesh says. “There’s so much … they couldn’t get it all in to three nights either.” 

The Heart of the Town is presented by San Francisco Giants and Relix, and produced by Terrapin Station Entertainment and Dayglo Presents. More info can be found at mlb.com.

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As part of the continuing celebration of the 40th anniversary of Taking Heads‘ iconic concert film, Stop Making Sense, the band’s keyboardist and guitarist Jerry Harrison is set to host a series of special screenings of the film.

In addition to showing the newly restored 4K version, the screenings will include an appearance by Harrison, who’ll share some introductory remarks, behind-the-scenes stories and sit for a Q&A with audiences.

The screenings kick off Sept. 11 in Concord, New Hampshire, and include stops in California, Texas and Florida before wrapping Jan. 17 in Bellingham, Washington.

A ticket presale begins Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday. More information and a complete list of screenings can be found at jerry-harrison.com.

Released in 1984, Stop Making Sense was recorded over three shows at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre in December 1983. It is considered by many to be the greatest concert film of all time. In 2021, it was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

The newly restored 4K version of Stop Making Sense had its premiere at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, with the four members of Talking Heads – Harrison, David Byrne, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz — reuniting for the event. The band went on to host several other screenings of the film.

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Brenda Lee’s holiday classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has inspired a new holiday guide.

The book, also titled Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, is described as a “nostalgic festive guide to celebrating the holidays.” It includes “ideas for holiday parties, innovative decorations, cozy meals, and more.”

The book features recipes for holiday-themed drinks like the Cranberry Sleigh Ride Cocktail and food like the Christmas Tiramisu. There are also suggestions for craft projects and activities that are perfect for holiday entertaining, plus tips on how to choose the best tree and more.

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree will be available starting Sept. 23 at Target, Walmart, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop. It is available for preorder now.

Lee’s single “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” was originally released in 1958; in November 2023 it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time ever. The song, which has been certified seven-times Platinum and has reached over 1 billion streams on Spotify, was only the third holiday #1 on the Hot 100 ever.

And if you want to enjoy more than just the one song, Lee’s holiday album, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,  is now available on limited-edition powder pink vinyl, which comes with a holiday postcard from the singer.

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Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson doesn’t seem all that impressed with Mick Jagger.

The 77-year-old rocker criticized the Rolling Stones frontman’s singing in an interview with Now Spinning Magazine as he was addressing what it physically takes to perform at his age.

Discussing the challenges faced by artists, Anderson, who sings and plays the flute onstage, said “it depends what you do.” He adds, “You can be physically animated, but there’s a degree to which you can only do so much if you’re playing a flute.”

He then compared it to what the now-82-year-old Jagger does onstage, suggesting it doesn’t take much to perform like him since he “didn’t set the bar very high in terms of vocal skills right from the very beginning.” Anderson did say he meant “no disrespect.”

“He’s a shouter, and he doesn’t have to really hit the notes or necessarily be terribly great on intonation or phrasing or anything,” Anderson said. “He runs around in a very animated way, and that’s great for someone who’s, you know, whatever, a couple of years older than me, or three years older than me. That’s fine.”

Anderson added that what he does is “not easy” and that “there is a limit to what you can do” when playing the flute.

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David Gilmour released the solo album Luck and Strange in 2024 and hit the road on a solo tour, and now one of those shows is coming to theaters.

Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome captures one of the Pink Floyd rocker’s shows at the famed Italian venue set against the backdrop of the ancient ruins of Rome. The concert film will hit theaters and IMAX on Sept. 17 for a limited time.

Tickets go on sale Aug. 6 at 9 a.m. ET. at DavidGilmour.film.

Then, on Oct. 17, Gilmour will release The Luck and Strange Concerts, a four-LP or two-CD set featuring 23 tracks recorded during the tour. It features live performances of songs from the album, as well as classic Pink Floyd tracks like “Wish You Were Here” and “Comfortably Numb.” There will also be a super deluxe edition that includes a 120-page book, David Gilmour Luck and Strange Live, that features tour photos taken by Gilmour’s wife, Polly Samson.

Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome will also be released on Oct. 17 as a two-Blu-ray and three-DVD set, with bonus footage and The Luck and Strange Concerts.

As a preview of the album and film, Gilmour has released a performance of the Pink Floyd track “Sorrow” to digital services, along with a performance video.

The Luck and Strange Concerts and Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome are available for preorder now.

Luck and Strange was Gimour’s first album of new material in nine years. The album debuted at #10 in the U.S. and at #1 in the U.K. The subsequent tour included rehearsal shows in Brighton, England, followed by multinight stands in Italy, London, New York and Los Angeles.

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On This Day, July 29, 2014…

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their 13th studio album Hypnotic Eye, which would wind up being their final album.

Although it didn’t contain any hit singles, the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, making it the only Petty album, either solo or with the Heartbreakers, to hit #1.

Singles released from the record include “American Dream Plan B,” “Red River” and “U Get Me High.”

The album earned a Grammy nod in 2015 for best rock album, but lost to Beck’s Morning Phase.

Although they never made another album, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers remained active and continued to tour together until Petty’s death in 2017.

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Details of the Bad Company tribute album Can’t Get Enough: The Music of Bad Company were recently released, and the soon-to-be Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band’s Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke have some pretty positive things to say about the upcoming release. 

“It has been very interesting listening to other musicians interpret our songs,” Rodgers tells Billboard. “I spent time listening and found myself smiling a lot. I am quietly impressed that these artists wanted to pay tribute to Bad Company.”

The album features appearances by Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, The Struts and more. Rodgers notes, “We are thankful that everyone played from every inch of their hearts on this release. You can hear it.”

Drummer Kirke tells the mag that it’s an honor to have all these artists cover their songs: “It means that the music has endured and has transcended multiple generations. It’s a salute to the songwriting.”

In addition to Bad Company songs, the album features a cover of Free’s hit “All Right Now.” Kirke tells the magazine it’s a “relevant and welcome inclusion,” considering he and Rodgers were both in Free before going on to form Bad Company.

“(It) kind of started the whole ball rolling, didn’t it?” Kirke says, with Rodgers adding that the song “marked the beginning of this musical life for Simon and I.”

Plus, Rodgers adds, “That song never disappoints … it still has a way of engaging people and lifting you up.”

Can’t Get Enough: The Music of Bad Company will be released on Oct. 24 and is available for preorder now.

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Billy Joel recently announced that he was planning to release some archival rarities that were discovered during the making of his HBO documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, and now he’s debuted his first clip.

The rocker shared a video of a May 16, 1975, performance of his now signature tune “Piano Man,” from the British television music series The Old Grey Whistle Test.

“This next song is a true story,” a mustachioed Joel says before beginning the performance. “I say that because some of the stuff I write is a pack of lies.”

More videos are expected throughout the year, including the unreleased first-ever performance of the classic hit “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,” recorded at CW Post University, and his first TV appearance in 1972.

Billy Joel: And So It Goes is now streaming on HBO Max. As a companion to the documentary, Joel released a new digital 100-track album, also called Billy Joel: And So It Goes, on Saturday.

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Ringo Starr is making some more new music.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just shared a July update with fans, revealing in a video that he’s back in the studio, once again working with T Bone Burnett on a new album.

The pair previously worked together on Ringo’s first country album, Look Up, which was released in January. Ringo jokes in the video, “Get ready for the next album, Look Up 2,” before laughing and clarifying “it won’t be called that, I don’t think.”

Ringo also thanked his fans for participating in his annual Peace and Love birthday tradition on July 7, sharing,  “Just the support we’ve had from all of you has been great.”

He also reminded folks that he and his All-Starr Band are headed out on tour in September.

“Hope to see some of you there,” he said.

The next leg of Ringo’s tour kicks off Sept. 10 in Chicago, with dates confirmed through Sept. 27 in Las Vegas. It includes a headlining spot at the Bourbon & Beyond festival on Sept. 13 in Louisville, Kentucky.

The current All-Starr Band lineup includes Toto’s Steve Lukather, Men At Work’s Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart, Gregg Bissonette and Buck Johnson.

A complete list of dates can be found at RingoStarr.com.

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