Classic Hits

While there will always be debate over who’s the greatest guitarist of all time, Billboard has decided to instead look at their instruments.

The publication has just come out with its list of the 100 most iconic guitars of all time. It was decided on by a panel of journalists, experts and guitarists across all musical genres, with fans getting to submit suggestions. Among the well-known guitarists who helped decide the list are ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons, Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Joe Satriani, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Jack White and more.

So, which famous axe was dubbed the most iconic? The #1 spot goes to Jimi Hendrix’s 1965 Fender Stratocaster “Monterey,” which he infamously set on fire at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.

Landing at #2 is Willie Nelson’s 1969 Martin N-20 “Trigger,” followed by Eddie Van Halen’s legendary homemade “Frankenstein” guitar, known for its red, black and white design, at #3.

Rounding out the top five are B.B. King’s signature “Lucille,” which was a variety of Gibson guitars, and Chuck Berry’s 1955 Gibson ES-350T.

Some of the other guitars making the list include: Angus Young of AC/DC’s Gibson SG at #6; David Gilmour’s 1969 Fender Stratocaster “The Black Strat” at #7; Jeff Beck’s 1954 Les Paul, known as “Oxblood,” at #12; and Queen guitarist Brian May’s The Red Special, which he and his father constructed themselves, at #14.

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The Grateful Dead is offering fans some more wine options to enjoy.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have announced a third set of limited-edition wines through their collaboration with Gnarly Head, including new vintages of their Old Vine Zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon, as well as a first-ever white option, a chardonnay.

All three bottles feature holographic labels with iconic Grateful Dead imagery. The Gnarly Head x Grateful Dead Chardonnay features the “Steal Your Face” logo, with a hologram skull on the front, while the Gnarly Head x Grateful Dead Cabernet Sauvignon has the same label but on a darker bottle. Finally, the Gnarly Head x Grateful Dead Old Vine Zinfandel is decorated with a skull and roses figure that comes out of the trunk of a tree. 

“Those who love the Grateful Dead love and appreciate a unique experience and, like the sound of the Dead, Gnarly Head wines offer a distinct wine experience with its high-quality,California-grown varietals,” Grateful Dead archivist and legacy manager David Lemieux shares. “We hope the third release of this fantastic Limited-Edition collection continues to give wine and music fans a unique sipping experience.”

The new Gnarly Head x Grateful Dead vintages will be available nationwide starting in September.

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We are now getting our first look at the upcoming documentary Daytime Revolution, which looks at the week in February 1972 when John Lennon and Yoko Ono produced and co-hosted the popular daytime talk show The Mike Douglas Show.

The trailer features footage of the couple’s takeover of the show, with clips of their guests including Chuck Berry, George Carlin and activist Ralph Nader, the latter of whom is interviewed for the film. There’s also a clip of Lennon performing his classic tune “Imagine.” 

According to the description, the doc “takes us back in time, as we observe John and Yoko interacting with a transfixed studio audience in revealing Q and A sessions where John Lennon was astonishingly candid about his life after the Beatles.”

Daytime Revolution, directed by Erik Nelson, is set to open in theaters on Oct. 9, which would have been Lennon’s 84th birthday. It is also set to premiere at the Hamptons Film Festival, which runs from Oct. 4 to Oct. 14.

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Dead & Company wowed fans with their recent Dead Forever residency at the Sphere Las Vegas, but it turns out the 30-show run was more than just a good time. 

Like most Dead & Company shows, the band had a Participation Row at the residency, promoting causes that are important to them, like Reverb.org and HeadCount.org, and it produced some pretty positive returns.

The band revealed on Instagram that the Dead Forever Participation Row resulted in $2.2 million raised for Dead Family charities. In addition, there were over 39,000 positive activations from over 11,900 fans, including over 11,700 voter actions and over 13,800 environmental actions.

“What happens in Vegas! Thank you to all of the fans who took positive actions on #ParticipationRow at every #DeadForever show to support @HeadCountOrg, @REVERB_org, and all the Dead Family Nonprofits,” they shared on social media. “Plus a very special thank you to our boots on the ground team, the reps and wonderful volunteers that made Participation Row and our Charity Auction happen all summer long.” 

Dead & Company’s Dead Forever – Live at Sphere residency kicked off in May and wrapped in August. So far there’s no word on whether the band plans to return to the venue.

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After Kamala Harris was announced as the Democratic candidate for president, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Carole King showed her support by posting a photo of herself from the cover of her iconic album Tapestry — which shows her with a cat — with the caption “Cat ladies for Kamala.” Now King will show her support by joining a fundraising call for Harris organized by Taylor Swift fans.

The group, Swifties for Kamala, is not officially endorsed by Taylor, it’s just a group of Taylor Swift fans who’ve banded together to get Democratic candidates elected in the upcoming election. They plan to hold a fundraising Zoom call Tuesday and King will be their special guest.

The call, which begins at 7 p.m. ET, will also feature Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, as well as North Carolina Democratic Party chair Anderson Clayton.

The connection between Carole and Taylor? She inducted Carole into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, during which she called the legendary artist “the greatest songwriter of all time” and performed her song “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?”

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The Bear star Jeremy Allen White is getting ready to play The Boss.

The actor, who has been cast to play Bruce Springsteen in the new movie Deliver Me From Nowhere, reveals in the latest issue of GQ that he’s working on getting the voice right to play the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. 

“I’m really lucky that there’s sort of a team of folks now in place to help young actors portray rock stars,” he says with a laugh. “I’ve got a really talented group of people helping me train vocally, musically, to get ready for this thing.”

He also notes how fortunate he feels that Springsteen supports the film, sharing, “I’ve had some access to him and he’s just the greatest guy.” 

White’s also been looking at old footage of Springsteen in preparation for the role. 

“It’s really great to go down a YouTube rabbit hole and find him at all these different periods in his life and be able to listen to his speaking voice as well as his singing voice,” he says. “That’s kind of been the deal, just listening to him a lot and watching him a lot. It’s been really fun preparing.”

Deliver Me From Nowhere, based on Warren Zanes‘ book Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, follows Springsteen’s efforts to make his solo album, Nebraska.

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Rod Stewart is set to release his 2012 Christmas album on vinyl for the very first time.

Merry Christmas, Baby, which features Rod’s take on such holiday classics as “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “Santa Claus is Coming To Town,” “White Christmas” and more, will be released on two-LP blue ice vinyl on Oct. 4. 

The vinyl will also include two bonus tracks that previously appeared on the deluxe edition of the album, covers of “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)” and “Silver Bells.”

The vinyl set, dubbed Merry Christmas, Baby (Anniversary Edition), is available for preorder now.

Originally released in October 2012, Merry Christmas, Baby, was a top 10 hit for Rod, peaking at #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It features collaborations with Mary J. Blige, Chris Boti, Michael Bublé, CeeLo Green and more.

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Elton John‘s new documentary is screening at multiple film festivals this fall, but you’ll be able to watch it at home in December.

Elton John: Never Too Late will arrive on Disney+ on Dec. 13. It’ll take a look at Elton’s extraordinary 50-year career through the lens of preparations for his final North American tour date at LA’s Dodger Stadium. The movie will also feature a new, original song by Elton. There’s no word on whether that song will be included on the new album that Elton and Bernie Taupin have said they’ve completed.

If you’d rather see Elton on the big screen, the doc will also have a limited theatrical run starting Nov. 15 in the U.S. and the U.K. And if you want to see the actual concert that Elton is preparing for, you can watch Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium on Disney+ now. Elton became an EGOT winner in January 2024 when he won an Emmy for that special.

As previously reported, Never Too Late will get its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September, followed by screenings at the New York Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival.

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Previously unseen footage of David Bowie has just been released to help promote the upcoming Dolby Atmos release of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

The footage, shot by late Bowie collaborator and photographer Mick Rock, is taken from the 1972/1973 U.K. Ziggy Stardust tour and has Bowie performing the album’s classic track “Starman.”

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars’ first ever Dolby Atmos release is coming to streaming services and Blu-ray audio on Sept. 6. The release features four iterations of the album: the 2024 Dolby Atmos mix, 2024 Stereo and two different versions of the original 1972 Stereo Mix – 2012 remaster.

“(Bowie) was so theatrical I think being able to put him into an immersive place makes this a really good choice for an Atmos mix,” Ken Scott, who co-produced Ziggy Stardust, shares. “My whole philosophy with this has been to make it more like a live experience. Hopefully it just feels as if you’re in the theatre with this amazing show going on.”

The new Ziggy Stardust Dolby Atmos Blu-ray is available for preorder now. 

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On This Day, Aug. 27, 1967 …

The Beatles manager Brian Epstein died at the age of 32.

Epstein died from a drug overdose and was found by his butler in his London home, although his staff removed any drug paraphernalia from the house before calling the police. His death was officially ruled an accident. None of The Beatles attended Epstein’s funeral in order to avoid any unnecessary media attention.

Epstein, known as The Fifth Beatle, managed the band from 1962 to his death. He met them in December 1961 when they performed at The Cavern Club in Liverpool and was the one who was tasked with firing original drummer Pete Best, who was later replaced by Ringo Starr.

Epstein managed other artists during his career, including Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cila Black and The Moody Blues.

A movie about Epstein, Midas Man, recently premiered at the 2024 Toronto Jewish Film Festival. It stars Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Epstein, with a cast that also includes Emily Watson, Eddie Marsan, Jay Leno and Eddie Izzard.

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