Classic Hits

Record Store Day is happening later this month, and ahead of the annual celebration of independent record stores, Robert Plant has been honored with the Record Store Legend award.

The award honors the Led Zeppelin frontman for his “lasting impact on music around the world” as well as his support for new artist and record stores,” according to a post on the Record Store Day’s Instagram.

Plant was on hand for the unveiling of a special plaque to mark the honor at Spillers Records in Cardiff, Wales, the world’s oldest record store.

“Record stores have always been a part of my life. For me, once you get to the physical record it’s because you really want to know and be a part of what the artist was considering,” said Plant. “And I know, as a guy who’s been making records since 1966, people want to take home something very special, to enjoy all the elements of what an artist has put together. We want a connection between the music and the art of the whole thing.”

Record Store Day is happening April 18. Plant, with his band Saving Grace and singer Suzi Dian, is set to release a four-track EP, Saving Grace: All That Glitters, this year.

Elton John was the first recipient of the Record Store Legend award in 2017; The Smiths’ Johnny Marr was honored with the award in 2025.

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On This Day, April 8, 2016 …

Cheap Trick, Steve Miller, Chicago and Deep Purple were among the artists inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Cheap Trick was inducted by Kid Rock and performed “I Want You to Want Me,” “Dream Police” and “Surrender,” while Chicago was inducted by Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas, performing “Saturday in the Park,” “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” with Thomas, and “25 or 6 to 4.”

Deep Purple, inducted by Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, performed three songs, including their classic “Smoke on the Water.”

Steve Miller was inducted by The Black Keys, and performed “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Rockin’ Me” and “The Joker,” but his induction was not without controversy. He made headlines for his negative remarks about the Hall of Fame, and claimed the Rock Hall nixed his idea to have Elton John induct him. The Black Keys, longtime fans of Miller, later said they regretted their participation.

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Donald Fagen last played under the name Steely Dan in March 2024. So what’s he been doing since then? According to his stepdaughter, he’s “enjoying his retirement,” though he’s still making music and performing occasionally.

Fagen’s stepdaughter Amy Helm — daughter of Fagen’s late wife Libby Titus and the late Levon Helm of The Band — tells Vulture that Fagen is “doing fantastic,” adding that he’s living in Woodstock, New York, where she and her family are based, “full time.” 

“We’ve been playing a lot of music. He’s enjoying his retirement,” adds Helm, a singer and songwriter who organizes the ongoing series of concerts known as the Helm Family Midnight Ramble.

“He’s playing piano and singing the occasional rock-and-roll cover with our family band at the Midnight Ramble, and we’re having a great time,” she says. “He’s working on music with my son as well. They’re working on an album, and that’s been fun. So it’s a nice time for the family.”

Helm says that Fagen has no plans to perform with Steely Dan, explaining, “Right now he’s really enjoying being retired and not having any expectations or pressure. We drive around, we listen to music, and he picks fun covers for us to try at the Midnight Ramble. He’s just enjoying the downtime, but I guess you never know.”

Helm gave Vulture the update after some Instagram videos she posted to promote the Midnight Ramble went viral simply because Fagen was seen in the background.

“All of a sudden friends were texting me and letting me know that it was really resonating with Steely Dan fans,” Helm tells Vulture. She adds, “Someone asked him what he thought about having a viral moment, and he said, ‘We must really have our finger on the pulse of the nation.’”

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Peter Frampton is releasing a brand-new album, Carry the Light, on May 15, and the release will be celebrated with a unique piece of memorabilia.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer announced that a limited-edition turntable will be released alongside the album. The hand-decoupaged item will feature the Carry the Light album cover artwork, will be hand autographed by Frampton and will be covered in a gloss finish.

In addition to vinyl, the turntable has the ability to stream smartphone audio through built-in Bluetooth speakers. It also features a headphone jack for personal listening.

Only 100 turntables are available for purchase and can be preordered now.

Carry the Light will be Frampton’s first album of all-new material in 16 years. The album features guest appearances by such artists as Sheryl Crow, Graham Nash, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ keyboardist Benmont Tench, Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello, H.E.R. and saxophonist Bill Evans.

Carry the Light is available for preorder now.

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All those photos and videos from the set of The Studio season 2 showing Madonna and Julia Garner together? It turns out there’s a definite method behind their madness, and it has to do with Madonna’s now-abandoned biopic.

You may recall that Madonna was going to direct a movie about her life, with Julia starring as the Material Girl. The project was shelved in 2023, and Madonna subsequently launched her Celebration Tour. But Variety, citing sources, reports that a major plot point in The Studio season 2 will involve the nonexistent film.

The show’s Continental Studios, the fictional company run by Seth Rogen’s character, will be portrayed as the producer of the project. In that capacity, it will bring the Madonna biopic to the Venice Film Festival. Madonna and Julia also attend in order to promote the film and drum up Oscar buzz. Madonna won’t be the film’s director in the fictional world of the show, however. The whole thing will play out over two episodes, Variety reports.

Meanwhile, Netflix is reportedly developing a TV series about Madonna’s life that’s unrelated to the movie; Julia isn’t part of that project.

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Robert Plant is headed to late-night TV.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and his band Saving Grace are set to perform on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday.

Plant previously appeared on The Late Show back in November, sitting down for an interview with Colbert in which they nerded out over The Lord of the Rings and author J.R.R. Tolkien.

Robert Plant and Saving Grace with Suzi Dian are set wrap a U.S. tour on Tuesday at New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine. They then bring their tour to Argentina and Brazil starting May 10 in Buenos Aires, followed by dates in Croatia, Greece and more in June and July. A complete list of dates can be found at RobertPlant.com.

Robert Plant and Saving Grace released their self-titled debut album in September. The album, which was recorded between April 2019 and January 2025, has them covering songs by Memphis Minnie, Bob Mosley of Moby Grape, Blind Willie Johnson and more.

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If you’re missing the music of the ’80s, there’s a new tour coming this summer that you’ll want to check out.

Howard Jones is set to headline the Things Can Only Get Better Tour, with a lineup that he’s curated. The tour, named after Jones’ 1985 top-five hit, will feature fellow British ’80s bands Wang Chung, The English Beat and Modern English.

“I dreamed of curating a tour with my favorite bands that could bring some positivity in our troubled times. I’m thrilled that this is actually happening this summer with the Things Can Only Get Better Tour,” says Jones. “I’m so excited to be touring with these amazing talents. Our aim is to bring some joy with the banging pop anthems that we all know and love.”

He adds, “”Things Can Only Get Better’ is a message of hope for a future that we can create, when we stand up for the world we want to live in. Can’t wait to see you this summer!”

The tour kicks off July 19 in Napa, California, and wraps Aug. 23 in Toronto, Canada, with more tour dates to be announced.

A complete schedule and ticket information can be found at HowardJones.com.

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The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026 inductees will be announced during the April 13 episode of American Idol, and fans will no doubt want to see if the nominees they supported in the online fan vote have managed to get in.

After more than 9 million votes were cast, the act that ended up on top of the leaderboard is R&B group New Edition, who scored just over 1 million of those votes. In 2023, New Edition inducted The Spinners into the Hall and performed in their honor.

Coming in at #2 is Phil Collins, who is already in the Hall as a member of Genesis. The drummer, singer, songwriter, producer and actor, who has sold over 100 million records as a solo artist, received close to 901,000 votes. 

Pink came in at #3 with over 850,000 votes, while Shakira was #4 with 738,000 votes. The late Luther Vandross was just behind Shakira at #5, with just under 733,000 votes. 

Australian rockers INXS were #6, followed by British group Sade at #7. The top seven vote-getters were highlighted on the leaderboard because all actual voting members were each allowed to vote for seven acts.

However, it’s worth noting that the act that comes in at #1 on the fan vote isn’t guaranteed induction. That’s because all the fan votes together are tallied as one single ballot, joining the 1,200 ballots submitted by the actual voting members of the Hall of Fame.

As for the rest of this year’s nominees, here’s how they stacked up:
8. Wu-Tang Clan
9. Billy Idol
10. Mariah Carey
11. Lauryn Hill
12. Iron Maiden
13. Melissa Etheridge
14. The Black Crowes
15. Oasis
16. Joy Division + New Order
17. Jeff Buckley

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On This Day, April 7, 1990 …

Bonnie Raitt landed her first-ever #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart with her 10th studio album, Nick of Time.

The album’s success was aided by a popular video for the track “Thing Called Love,” a cover of a John Hiatt tune. The video featured actor Dennis Quaid as a bar patron who flirts with the bar’s singer, played by Raitt.

The album was Raitt’s first release after getting sober and enduring years of professional struggles, including getting dropped from her label, Warner Bros. Records.

The record, her first with new label Capitol Records, turned out to be a breakthrough for the artist. Not only did it sell five million copies, but it earned Raitt three Grammys including album of the year.

In 2022, Nick of Time was chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

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Billy Idol is hitting the road again this summer.

The “Rebel Yell” rocker has announced dates for a new leg of the It’s A Nice Day To … Tour Again! tour, kicking off Aug. 7 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. 

The trek will hit cities in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and more, before wrapping Sept. 27 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A Citi presale for tickets begins Wednesday at 12 p.m. local time, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday at 12 p.m. local time.

Idol launched the It’s A Nice Day To … Tour Again! tour in April 2025. In addition to the newly announced shows, he will headline the weeklong Hot in the City Las Vegas residency at the Fontainebleau from Aug. 28 to Sept. 5.

A complete list of dates can be found at BillyIdol.net.

Idol is currently nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Inductees will be announced April 13 on American Idol. In addition, his new documentary, Billy Idol Should Be Dead, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, is currently streaming on Hulu.

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