Classic Hits

The Rolling Stones have been recognized with a 2024 BRIT Award nomination.

The legendary rockers, who last year released Hackney Diamonds, their first album of new material since 2005, have been nominated in the Alternative/Rock Act category, where they’ll compete against Blur, Bring Me the Horizon, Young Fathers and Yussef Dayes. 

The nomination is the fourth for The Stones and their first since 2013.

Foo Fighters have also been recognized with a nomination in the International Group category, where Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, Paramore and more also received nods.

Winners in the genre categories will be selected via a public vote being held on Instagram from Thursday, February 1, at 12 p.m. until Thursday, February 15, at 6 p.m. 

The BRIT Awards 2024 will take place Sunday, March 2, at The O2 arena in London.

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Bon Jovi is kicking off the celebration of their 40th anniversary. 

The band’s self-titled debut album was released 40 years ago this month, and to mark the occasion, the New Jersey rockers have just released Bon Jovi: Deluxe Edition to digital outlets.

The deluxe edition features nine never-before-heard bonus tracks, including different versions of the album’s hit “Runaway” and live tracks from a 1985 concert in Tokyo.

“We can’t believe it’s been 40 years since we released Bon Jovi – the record that changed our lives forever,” they share on Instagram, announcing the kick off of what they’re calling #BonJovi40!

In addition to the digital release, the band is releasing 5,000 limited-edition anniversary copies of Bon Jovi on ruby red vinyl, which will ship on March 22. There’s also a limited-edition anniversary Bon Jovi cassette, which will ship on April 5.

And it sounds like there will be a lot more to the celebration.

“We can’t wait to share more with you!” they write. “Thank you to everyone who’s been a part of our journey so far. Get ready for 2024, the year of #BonJovi40!” 

Released January 21, 1984, Bon Jovi featured nine tracks, including the hit “Runaway,” which Jon Bon Jovi originally recorded for a demo. The demo version wound up getting airplay on a local New York radio station, which led to Jon getting signed by Mercury Records and the eventual formation of Bon Jovi.

The album wound up peaking at #43 on the Billboard 200 chart and was later certified double Platinum by the RIAA.

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On This Day, January 24, 2017… 

Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks died by suicide in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was 69.

Born Claude Hudson Trucks, Butch joined the Allman Brothers Band in 1969 and played with them throughout their career. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the band in 1995. 

His nephew, guitarist Derek Trucks joined the ABB in 1999 and went on to form the Tedeschi Trucks Band. Derek’s brother, Duane Trucks, is the drummer for Widespread Panic.

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The Greatest Night In Pop, a new documentary about the making of the star-studded 1985 charity single “We Are the World,” will hit Netflix on January 29. And Lionel Richie, who co-wrote the song with Michael Jackson, says witnessing the film being put together has made him cry.

“It just brings tears to my eyes because some of us are not here anymore,” Lionel told Variety. Some of those who sang on “We Are the World” have since passed away — Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, Tina Turner and Harry Belafonte, to name a few — but for Lionel, one particular loss hurts the most.

“Michael’s not here,” Lionel said. “There should be another guy sitting here … I need him here to tell you the funny parts about it. Because in all of this, we were just two creatives having the best time of our lives, pulling from the universe.”

In addition to Lionel, the documentary features interviews with many of the other participants, including Huey Lewis, Kenny Loggins, Smokey Robinson, Bruce Springsteen and Dionne Warwick, as well as never-before-heard recordings of Lionel and Michael writing the song, which raised millions for famine relief in Africa.

“We actually were making a difference,” Lionel noted. “So to see the naive version of ourselves, when we actually had an ‘aha moment’ that we might take all this celebrity and change the world … I’m just emotional about it, because I get to watch my kid being born again.”

Asked who he’d like to put in a new version of “We Are the World” today, Lionel said it would have to be not just a singer, but a stylist — someone who you’d recognize right away. He came up with just two names: Beyoncé and Bruno Mars.

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John Densmore is the reason we don’t hear music from The Doors in commercials, and he says his decision to fight against it was inspired by an incident with the group’s late frontman, Jim Morrison. 

“It all started in 1968 when Buick offered us $75,000 — huge money at the time — to sell its new model,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer tells The Spectator, noting he, guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek all agreed to the deal without Morrison.  

“He came back and went nuts. Or, being Jim, what he actually said was that if they aired the ad he would smash up a Buick on live TV with a sledgehammer,” he says. “A bulb went off over my head at that moment.”

Densmore is so serious about not licensing The Doors’ music that he took his former bandmates to court over it; things got testy in court, which hurt their relationship. “Among other things, they asked me if I was a communist, and whether I supported Al-Qaeda,” he says.

Densmore wound up winning the legal battle, and says his relationship with Krieger and Manzarek did eventually improve.

While Manzarek passed away in 2013, Densmore says they “made peace right before the end, for which I’m eternally grateful.” As for his relationship with Krieger, Densmore says they’re friendly and hints at a possible project in the future.

“We might even do something together, but I can assure you it won’t be called The Doors,” he says.

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Looks like Sammy Hagar will be holding on to his 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari for a little while longer. 

Sammy was supposed to auction off the vehicle at the Barrett-Jackson 2024 Scottsdale Auction at WestWorld in Scottsdale, Arizona, which runs through January 28, but the sale has been postponed. 

USA Today reports that during a full inspection it was discovered that the car needs a new battery; a replacement can’t come in time for the planned auction. Instead the car will be auctioned off at Barrett-Jackson’s auction on October 12.

“As disappointed as I am about a last-minute mechanical problem, I am so happy I didn’t sell the car to someone and have it happen to them. If you know what I mean,” Sammy wrote on Instagram. “Good news is I get to drive the car a little more between now & Oct 12 when it goes back on the block!” 

Instead of being on the auction block, the car will be on display for those attending the auction.

Hagar and Jackson are reportedly hoping the car sells for somewhere close to $5 million. It originally retailed for about $1.4 million.

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The Zombies continue to add U.S. dates to their schedule.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just added four new shows to the latest leg of their Different Game tour – March 29 in Charlottesville, Virginia, March 31 in Durham, North Carolina, April 2 in Charleston, South Carolina, and April 3 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Zombies’ North American tour is due to kick off March 26 in Annapolis, Maryland, and wrap April 12 in Clearwater, Florida. As part of the tour they will set sail on the On The Blue Cruise from April 5 to April 10, departing from Miami.

Tickets for the new shows go on sale Friday, January 26, at 12 p.m. ET. 

The Zombies previously toured the U.S. in 2023, but were forced to cut the tour short in October after founding member Rod Argent was hospitalized after suffering migraines, fatigue and exhaustion.

Following the U.S. dates, the band will launch a U.K. tour on May 21 in Poole, England. A complete list of tour dates can be found at thezombiesmusic.com.

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Forget about T-shirts: Fans can now show their love for INXS with fine jewelry.

Billboard reports the “Need You Tonight” band has teamed up with Australian jeweler Michael Hill for a limited-edition line that includes five pieces, all made with recycled silver. Among them are rings, cuffs, guitar-pick pendants and lockets. Many are inscribed with lyrics from their songs, including “Never Tear Us Apart” and “By My Side.”

In a statement to Billboard, INXS member Jon Farriss says, “INXS is synonymous with music, but also fashion …we enjoyed finding and wearing funky bohemian jewelry which had personal meaning as well as catching a twinkle of light, while adding a sprinkle of attitude.”

He adds, “We are really digging these Michael Hill designs that reflect some of the things we still wear today.”

The Michael Hill x INXS collection is available online, with more pieces expected to arrive later this year.

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Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon received 10 Oscar nominations on Tuesday, January 23, including an Original Score nod for the late Robbie Robertson, which is a bit bittersweet for the director.

In a statement, Scorsese describes the academy’s recognition of the film and his collaborators as “deeply gratifying,” noting, “It was a remarkable experience to make this picture, to work together with the Osage community to tell the story of a genuine American tragedy, hidden in the shadows of official culture for far too long.”

Regarding the Original Score nod, Scorsese adds, “I only wish that Robbie Robertson had lived to see his work recognized. … our many years of friendship and Robbie’s growing consciousness of his own Native heritage played a crucial role in my desire to get this film onscreen.” 

Robertson’s mother was Cayuga and Mohawk, and he was raised in Toronto on the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve. The posthumous nomination makes him the first indigenous person ever to be nominated in the Original Score category.  

Prior to Killers of the Flower Moon, Scorsese and Robertson worked together on 14 projects, including the Scorsese-directed concert documentary The Last Waltz, featuring Robbie’s group The Band.

Robertson passed away August 9 at the age of 80.

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Paul McCartney’s acclaimed photo exhibit is coming to New York. Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm is set to debut at the Brooklyn Museum on May 3 and will run until August 18.

Eyes of the Storm features more than 250 photographs taken by McCartney between November 1963 and February 1964, giving fans insight into his point of view as The Beatles were becoming international superstars.

The exhibit first debuted in June at London’s National Portrait Gallery and then moved to Virginia’s Chrysler Museum in December, where it is set to run until April 7.

“Since first arriving in New York in February 1964, Paul McCartney has built a strong, everlasting connection to the city,” Catherine Futter, director of Curatorial Affairs and senior curator of decorative arts at the Brooklyn Museum, shares. “His vibrant photographs from The Beatles’ first visit capture the energy of the city, the excitement of the American fans, and the frenzy of the band’s status as celebrities. Yet the images also record The Beatles’ fun and delight with each other.” 

She adds, “Through McCartney’s lens, we feel the intensity of being at the center of such extraordinary events.”

More information on the exhibit and tickets can be found at brooklynmuseum.org.

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