Classic Hits

The public may be getting some more insight into the early days of The Beatles, only this time from the point of view of former Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe.

The U.K. Mirror reports that the Sutcliffe Estate is looking to sell a collection of rare photos, letters, memorabilia and artwork that belonged to Sutcliffe, and auction houses are interested in paying millions to get their hands on it. 

The collection includes 37 slides and photos of the group from the period between from 1960 to 1962, including shots with Sutcliffe and good friend John Lennon. There are also pieces of Sutcliffe’s personal artwork.

“The dream was for some of the art collection to find a home where it would be available to all,” Diane Vitale, chief executive of the estate, tells the paper. “The mission was always for it to return to where it all began.”

She’s hoping some of the items could go on display at a university or museum so the public can enjoy them. 

“Finding a benefactor who could finance a university or museum acquisition would be ideal,” she says, “and while Liverpool is my first choice it could happen anywhere.” 

Sutcliffe, a college friend of Lennon’s, joined The Beatles in early 1960 and was their original bass player. He left the group the following year to pursue his artistic studies in Hamburg, Germany. He passed away in April 1962 at the age of 21 after suffering a brain hemorrhage.

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Earth, Wind & Fire has won a lawsuit they brought against a cover band that they claimed was infringing on their trademark. 

Back in March 2023, Earth, Wind & Fire LLP, the rights holders of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group’s trademark, sued Substantial Music Group and Stellar Communications over their Earth, Wind & Fire Legacy Reunion, a tribute band featuring unnamed “former members” of the R&B group.

The real Earth, Wind & Fire argued Legacy Reunion was using the real band’s logos, word mark and more to mislead consumers into paying more money for their shows. 

In a ruling handed down Monday, March 4, in Miami, a judge agreed with Earth, Wind & Fire, ruling Legacy Reunion did indeed infringe on their intellectual property rights, citing online posts by frustrated consumers as proof the public was misled by Legacy Reunion’s advertising.

According to the ruling, Legacy Reunion’s “advertisements draw a close, unmistakable association with Earth, Wind & Fire to a degree unwarranted by the historical record,” noting that even if some members of Legacy Reunion were in Earth Wind & Fire for a time, “the advertisement and marketing were still deceptive and misleading as to whether the main (or most prominently known) members of the band would be performing.”

The judge ruled Legacy Reunion must now stop doing anything that will infringe on the Earth, Wind & Fire trademarks. As for any monetary compensation, that will be decided during a bench trial in May.

In the meantime, the real Earth, Wind & Fire is set tour with Lionel Richie on the Sing A Song All Night Long tour, starting May 23 in Knoxville, Tennessee. They will also tour with Chicago starting July 10 in St. Louis, Missouri. A complete list of dates can be found at earthwindandfire.com.

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There was a reunion of The Beatles in Paris on Monday, March 4.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were spotted sitting in the front row at Paris Fashion Week, taking in the fall/winter womenswear show being put on by designer Stella McCartney, Paul’s daughter.

McCartney’s wife, Nancy Shevell, and Ringo’s wife, Barbara Bach, were also in attendance, as was Stella’s sister Mary McCartney and celebrity guests like Paris Jackson, M.I.A., Anna Wintour, Naomie Harris, Ashley Graham and Jameela Jamil.

The Paris reunion comes just four months after The Beatles released what they say will be their final song, “Now and Then,” using vocals John Lennon recorded on a demo in the late ’70s, along with guitar the late George Harrison recorded in the mid-’90s, and new recordings from McCartney and Starr. The song debuted at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #1 in the U.K.

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Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke has some strong opinions about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, specifically the fact that he’s not in it.

Medlocke was Skynyrd’s drummer from 1971-72, rejoined the band as guitarist in 1996 and has been with them ever since. Despite the long tenure, there have been many who have questioned whether he should be considered an original member of the band, including the HOF, as he was not inducted with Skynryd in 2006.

“The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame stated that I have not had any link or that I wasn’t significant to the career, and it didn’t want me being inducted with them,” Medlocke shared in an interview with Iridium Rock and Metal Reviews, describing the decision as “kind of a blow to me.”

“Here’s what I say to them,” he added, giving the HOF the middle finger.

Medlocke got particularly peeved when he saw who has been getting inducted but noted, “It is what it is. My Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is the fans out there and the music that I play and the band that I play in, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and my own stuff.”

Next up for Medlocke and Lynyrd Skynyrd, they’re due to kick off a new leg of the Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour with ZZ Top on Friday, March 8, in Savannah, Georgia. A complete list of dates can be found at lynyrdskynyrd.com.

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Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke has some strong opinions about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, specifically the fact that he’s not in it.

Medlocke was Skynyrd’s drummer from 1971-72, rejoined the band as guitarist in 1996 and has been with them ever since. Despite the long tenure, there have been many who have questioned whether he should be considered an original member of the band, including the HOF, as he was not inducted with Skynryd in 2006.

“The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame stated that I have not had any link or that I wasn’t significant to the career, and it didn’t want me being inducted with them,” Medlocke shared in an interview with Iridium Rock and Metal Reviews, describing the decision as “kind of a blow to me.”

“Here’s what I say to them,” he added, giving the HOF the middle finger.

Medlocke got particularly peeved when he saw who has been getting inducted but noted, “It is what it is. My Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is the fans out there and the music that I play and the band that I play in, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and my own stuff.”

Next up for Medlocke and Lynyrd Skynyrd, they’re due to kick off a new leg of the Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour with ZZ Top on Friday, March 8, in Savannah, Georgia. A complete list of dates can be found at lynyrdskynyrd.com.

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Elton John has been pretty busy since he wrapped up his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour: He’s got two musicals opening — one in London and one on Broadway — and he’s got new music on the way.

“He’s been working away,” his husband and manager David Furnish tells Variety. “I don’t think you’re going to have to wait too long [for new music]. I can’t say when but he’s making real progress. It was important for him when he came off the road to have a little bit of a breather and a break. But he’s always said he’s retiring from touring, but he’s not retiring from working.”

It’s not clear which new music Furnish is talking about. During the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony last year, Elton told the crowd that he and his musical partner Bernie Taupin had just finished an album. Then, in December, The Who‘s Pete Townshend told Clashmusic magazine that Elton had “gone over to LA to make an album with Brandi Carlile” and that they’d finished it in two weeks.

Furnish also says that Elton will likely perform at his annual Oscar Viewing Party on March 10 with the special guest that he’s booked: the band Gabriels. “It’s hard to keep [Elton] off the stage,” says Furnish.

One thing that Elton may not be looking forward to this year is more surgery. Earlier this year, Furnish said, he had one of his knees replaced, and he’ll have the second one done this spring.

“Both his knees were bent so badly, but his left knee is now perfectly straight,” Furnish explains. “His right knee is still bent so he’s going to have another surgery in April.”

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The late Robbie Robertson was honored with the Icon Award at the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards, which took place Saturday, March 3, at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. 

Robertson, who passed away in August, was celebrated for his contribution to both music and film. 

According to Billboard, Margo Price was joined by Robert Randolph and Jairus Mozee for a tribute to  Robertson, performing “Evangeline,” while Rocco DeLuca and Johnny Sheppard performed “They Don’t Live Long” from Martin Scorsese‘s Killers of the Flower Moon.

Robertson is nominated for an Oscar this year for his score for Killers of the Flower Moon. The score is one of several projects he and Scorsese worked on together, including movies like Gangs of New York, Raging Bull, Casino and The Color of Money as well as the concert documentary The Last Waltz, featuring Robbie’s group The Band.

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Paul McCartney’s photography exhibit is hitting another U.S. city this year.

It was just announced that Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm will debut at the Portland Art Museum on September 14 and run until January 19.

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 is currently at Virginia’s Chrysler Museum of Art, where it is set to run until April 7. It will then move to New York’s Brooklyn Museum from May 3- August 18. 

Tickets for the Portland Art Museum run are on sale now.

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On This Day, March 4, 1967…

The Rolling Stones landed their fourth #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Ruby Tuesday.”

The tune, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, was released as the B side to the single with “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” although in the U.K., where it went to #3, the two tracks were released as a double A-sided single.

“Ruby Tuesday,” which was later included on the U.S. version of their album Between the Buttons, went on to be one of the band’s classic tunes and is often played at their live shows.

The track was certified Gold by the RIAA.

In total, The Rolling Stones have had eight #1 hits in the U.S., their last being “Miss You” in August 1978.

The band is set to hit the road this year, with their Hackney Diamonds tour kicking off April 28 in Houston, Texas. A complete list of dates can be found at rollingstones.com.

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Former President Donald Trump recently played the Sinéad O’Connor classic “Nothing Compares 2 U” at rallies in Maryland and North Carolina, and her family is not at all happy. 

In a statement to Variety, the singer’s estate denounced the use of the song, demanding Trump and his associates stop using her music.

“Throughout her life, it is well known that Sinéad O’Connor lived by a fierce moral code defined by honesty, kindness, fairness and decency towards her fellow human beings,” reads the statement. “It was with outrage therefore that we learned that Donald Trump has been using her iconic performance of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ at his political rallies.” 

They add, “It is no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt and insulted to have her work misrepresented in this way by someone who she herself referred to as a ‘biblical devil.’”

Sinéad O’Connor passed away July 26, 2023, at the age of 56.

This isn’t the first time an artist has blasted Trump’s use of their music. Earlier this year, Johnny Marr from The Smiths denounced Trump’s use of their song “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” at a rally, while Neil Young, The Rolling Stones and the estate of Tom Petty have all spoken out about their opposition to his use of their music.

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