Classic Hits

Kansas has announced a replacement for their bassist and co-lead vocalist Billy Greer, who recently announced his retirement after close to 40 years with the band.

The rockers announced on social media that Dan McGowan, who has already filled in for Greer at shows in 2024, will be taking on the gig full time.

“I am thrilled and honored to be joining KANSAS,” McGowan shares. “I am also deeply aware of the gigantic shoes that I will be filling … I want the fans to know that I love the music of KANSAS, and I hold it in highest reverence.”

He adds, “I am committed to doing justice to the band’s incredible legacy, and I am so grateful for this unbelievable opportunity!”

McGowan’s resume includes being the singer and guitarist for the progressive rock band The Tea Club, who are set to release their sixth album this year. He also played with Kansas keyboardist Tom Brislin in his band Gold Rotation.

Greer has been a member of Kansas since 1985 and appeared on seven of the band’s studio albums.

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On This Day, Sept. 11, 1982…

John Mellencamp, then known as John Cougar, had the #1 album in the country, with his fifth studio album American Fool. It was his first and only #1 record.

The album spent nine weeks at #1, and produced the #1 single, “Jack and Diane,” which spent four weeks in the top spot.

Another single, “Hurt So Good,” spent four weeks at #2 and 16 weeks in the top 10, while a third, “Hand to Hold On To,” peaked at #19.

“Hurts So Good” went on to win Mellencamp a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.

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Queen fans will soon be able to experience their 1973 debut album in a whole new way.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers are set to release a remixed and remastered version of the self-titled album on Oct. 25, with an expanded collector’s edition that comes with six CDs and one LP, featuring 63 tracks with 43 brand new mixes.

The set, now titled Queen I, will include the original album with a new track listing, along with its originally intended running order, and the addition of “Mad the Swine,” a song that was absent from the 1973 release. There are also alternative takes, demos and rare live tracks, along with “fly-on-the-wall audio” that gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at Queen in the studio. 

It also comes with a 108-page book featuring handwritten lyrics and memorabilia.

“Queen I is the debut album we always dreamed of bringing to you,” guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor share.

In the new liner notes, May adds, “This is not just a remaster, this is a brand new 2024 rebuild of the entire Queen debut album, which, with the benefit of hindsight, we have re-titled Queen I.”  

And Queen is offering up the first preview of the set with the Oct. 4 release of a 7-inch single of the new mix of “The Night Comes Down.” The track will also be available immediately to anyone who preorders the digital version of the album.

In addition to the box set, Queen I will be released as a single CD and two-CD deluxe edition, as well as on vinyl, picture disc and cassette. 

All formats are available for preorder now.

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Bonnie Raitt has a lot of songs in her catalog that fans will want to hear when she’s out on tour, and she doesn’t see that as a bad thing.

“I’m lucky enough to have songs that people will be mad if they don’t hear; that’s not a drag, it’s an honor,” she tells the Los Angeles Times for an article about creating a concert set list. “I’m still invested every time.”

Bonnie says that while some artists like Bob Dylan will completely change up their set from show to show, it isn’t as easy for her to do since she’s constantly switching instruments during her concert. But, she says, she still likes to swap out songs when she can, sometimes making the decision in the middle of a performance.

“I’ll have my guitar guy standing there with two instruments and I’ll point to the one I want,” she says.

And while playing the same songs every night can get boring, Raitt says she’ll change things up in order to keep things fresh, although that doesn’t always work. For instance, on one tour she performed her hit “Something to Talk About” with a ska beat, which may not have gone over that well.

“We had fun doing it, but I couldn’t tell what the audience thought and you can’t interview them about whether they liked it or not,” she says. “I think you’ve got to keep those iconic songs pretty close to what people came to hear since they’re paying for the tour bus.” 

Raitt is currently on the latest leg of her Just Like That… tour. She plays San Diego on Wednesday. A complete list of dates can be found at bonnieraitt.com.

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Janet Jackson had an early start in the entertainment industry, but right now she has Control over 7-year-old son Eissa‘s life. If he wants in, she says he not only needs to make the decision on his own, he has to meet her age requirement.

“It’s about him. If that’s what he wants, but I would say that he has to wait until he’s of age and still make sure that’s what he wants to do,” Janet said on U.K. TV show Loose Women. “Whatever you do is very difficult. The industry is very tough, but he would have to wait till he is 18.”

She adds she’s grateful that her father saw her talent and pushed her toward the same career paths as her brothers aka The Jackson 5, but notes there are some things she didn’t get the chance to experience.

“I am happy because he obviously saw something that I didn’t, but I still wish I would’ve experienced college. Or, I should say university. I always wanted to experience that,” Janet said. “I was just a baby when my brothers were successful, so that’s all I’ve ever really known.”

Janet shares Eissa with ex-husband Wissam Al Mana.

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Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour surprised patrons at bar in East Sussex, England, getting up on stage to join his daughter Romany Gilmour for an impromptu performance.

David shared a clip of the performance on social media, which shows him walking into Neptune Live Music Bar and his daughter asking, “Would you like to come and upstage me?” When David says “yeah,” she replies, “OK, great.”

The clip then shows a snippet of the pair performing the Pink Floyd classic “Wish You Were Here.”

David captioned the post, “Very much enjoyed crashing @romanygilmour’s gig at the Neptune in Hove this evening after finishing tour rehearsals.”

Those rehearsals are for David’s upcoming live shows in support of his recently released solo album, Luck and Strange. The shows kick off Sept. 27 in Rome, Italy. He hits the States starting Oct. 25 in Los Angeles, with shows in New York to follow. A complete list of dates can be found at davidgilmour.com.

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The lawyer for Prince‘s estate is responding to a report that a new documentary about the singer includes accusations by ex-girlfriends that he was abusive.

The New York Times Magazine ran a story about the documentary, which was directed by O.J. Made in America director Ezra Edelman for Netflix, claiming to have seen the film.

Writer Sasha Weiss says it includes interviews with several ex-girlfriends who claim Prince was physically and emotionally abusive. There are also interviews revealing Prince’s alleged controlling behavior, along with claims he was abused as a child.

Earlier reports suggested Prince’s estate was holding up the release of the doc because they had issues with content they deemed inaccurate. Now Prince’s longtime lawyer, L. Londell McMillan, who the Times article claims strongly opposes the doc, has spoken out.

In a post on X, McMillan wrote, “Let me ask YOU, if you found out that someone didn’t like you and/or hated how others loved you, would you trust them and let them make a major film story on your life, then you see the rough cuts mix facts with falsehood, speculation, omissions with opinions? GTHOH,” an abbreviation for “get the hell out of here.”

Meanwhile, in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Primary Wave Music and Prince Legacy, which own stakes in the singer’s assets, say they’re trying to resolve any issues in order to get the documentary out.

“Those with the responsibility of carrying out Prince’s wishes shall honor his creativity and genius,” it reads. “We are working to resolve matters concerning the documentary so that his story may be told in a way that is factually correct and does not mischaracterize or sensationalize his life.”

They add, “We look forward to continuing to share Prince’s gifts and celebrate his profound and lasting impact on the world.”

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Back in April, Neil Young revealed in a post on his Neil Young Archives site that a live album featuring an early concert by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young was in the works, and now we have more details about the release.

Live At The Fillmore East, 1969 will be released Oct. 25, featuring a newly discovered multiple-track recording of CSNY’s Sept. 20, 1969, show at the Fillmore East in New York. The concert took place a month after their second-ever show together at Woodstock. It includes performances of future CSNY classics “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” “Guinnevere” and “Our House,” as well as the Young track “Down By The River.”

The first performance released from the album is a previously unreleased live recording of “Helplessly Hoping,” which is available now via digital outlets.

The album was produced from the original eight-track concert recordings of the show, with Young and Stephen Stills working with Jay Hanlon at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles on the final product. 

Live At The Fillmore East, 1969 will be released on two-LP vinyl and CD and is available for preorder now. There will also be a special clear vinyl edition, sold exclusively at retailers.

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After sharing the stage with his famous mom during her Celebration tour, Madonna‘s son David Banda has now made his debut on another stage: a runway at New York Fashion Week.

On Sept. 8, David, 18, walked in a show for Off-White’s spring 2025 collection, People reports. He wore a plaid vest, black pants, earrings and flip-flops. Among those watching his debut: Camila Cabello, Issa Rae and Olympic star Suni Lee.

People notes that David is the second of Madonna’s six children to walk in New York Fashion Week: Her daughter Lourdes previously appeared in shows for Versace and other brands. The proud mom posted a photo of herself at the show’s after-party with Off-White’s creative director, Ib Kamara, as well as several photos of herself with her rumored boyfriend, Akeem Morris.

In 2022, Madonna told The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon that David had an eye for fashion. “He can put on any outfit and look swag as you know what,” Madonna said. “It’s really irritating. He wears my clothes and looks better in them.”

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On this Day, Sept. 10, 1950 …

Joseph Anthony Pereira, better known as Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts. 

Perry, along with Steven Tyler, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer and guitarist Ray Tabano, formed Aerosmith in Boston in 1970, with Tabano replaced by Brad Whitford in 1971.

They released their self-titled debut in 1973, which featured the tune “Dream On,” which went on to be a classic and peaked at #6 after being reissued in 1975. Their third studio album, 1975’s Toys in the Attic, was their first real mainstream success, thanks to the top 40 hit “Sweet Emotion” and the original version of “Walk This Way.”

Future hits included a remake of “Walk This Way” with Run DMC, “Dude Looks Like A Lady,” “Angel,” “Love in an Elevator,” “Janie’s Got A Gun” and “Livin on the Edge.” They landed their first number one single with “I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing,” a Diane Warren-penned track from the Armageddon soundtrack.

Aerosmith was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and Perry and Tyler were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.

Outside of Aerosmith, Perry has released six solo albums and three with The Joe Perry Project. He’s also released three albums as part of Hollywood Vampires, a supergroup that also features Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp.

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