Classic Hits

Cher and her ex-husband Sonny Bono didn’t have a great relationship after they divorced in 1975. But as Cher tells People in a new interview, they were able to make up before Sonny’s tragic death — because he finally apologized to her.

“He p***** me off royally and hurt me,” Cher tells People. But one day, she says, “He came into the kitchen at my house and said, ‘Cher, I want to apologize. I realized that I hurt you in so many ways, and I was wrong.’ That went a long way for me.”

“The fact that he came and said it meant something to me, that at least he acknowledged that he had been hurtful,” she explains.

Cher and Sonny married in 1964 and share son Chaz, 54. Sonny died in a skiing accident in 1998 at age 62; Cher dedicated her 1998 album, Believe, to him.

Despite their marital problems, Cher maintains that she and Sonny “had so much fun together,” both in their music career and on their variety show, which aired from 1971 to 1974.

“Working together was the easiest part of it, because we really made each other laugh,” she says. “You can’t fake that kind of stuff.”

Cher’s new holiday album, Christmas, will arrive October 20.

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Rudolph Isley, a founding member of The Isley Brothers, passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 84.

Rudolph’s daughter Elaine confirmed the news to People, revealing he “died peacefully in his sleep” with his wife of 68 years, also named Elaine, by his side.

Rudolph’s brother and bandmate Ronald shared his feelings about the loss with the mag, saying, “There are no words to express my feelings and the love I have for my brother. Our family will miss him. But I know he’s in a better place.”

Rudolph founded The Isley Brothers in the ’50s with brothers O’Kelly, Ronald and Vernon, although Vernon passed away a few years after their formation. They had their first hit in 1959 with “Shout,” which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

Other songs made famous by The Isley Brothers include “Twist and Shout” and “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Week For You)” along with “It’s Your Thing,” which earned them a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. 

Rudolph, who was known for wearing hats and fur-attired clothing, retired from the group in 1989. He and his brothers were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. 

Earlier this year, Rudolph filed a lawsuit against Ronald over the trademark rights to the group’s name, claiming that despite the name being jointly owned by both of them, Ronald alone filed for a federal trademark of the name in 2021, and it was approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

He sought to have a judge declare that the trademark rights to the name were equally and jointly owned by both brothers, and he wanted any revenue Ronald made from exploiting the trademark to be divided.

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U2 is celebrating the 40th anniversary of their iconic live album Under A Blood Red Sky with a special Record Store Day release. 

The band is set to drop a remastered version of the album on 180g red vinyl. The new release includes a double-sided insert with credits and lyrics, and the bonus of a large two-sided poster. 

Record Store Day Black Friday is happening November 24 at independent record stores across the country. A complete list of releases can be found at recordstoreday.com.

Released November 21, 1983, Under A Blood Red Sky features eight songs recorded live during three shows on the band’s War Tour. Two of those songs came from the band’s show at Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, which was the subject of last year’s concert film U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky.

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Talk about a huge double bill. Rockers Billy Joel and Sting are teaming up for a One Night Only concert at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 24.

A Citi ticket presale for begins Monday, October 16, at 10 a.m., followed by a Verizon presale on Tuesday, October 17, at 10 a.m. The general onsale will then kick off Friday, October 20, at 10 a.m.

The show will be the first time Joel and Sting have co-headlined a concert. The friends do have a history of performing together, though, as Billy has been on the bill for Sting’s Rainforest concerts multiple times, the last time being in 2008.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Joel has co-headlined a stadium show with a fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. He has toured with Elton John several times and is currently sharing the stage with Stevie Nicks. The two artists next play Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 10.

A complete list of Joel dates can be found at billyjoel.com.

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Lenny Kravitz is back with new music. The rocker just released the new track “TK421,” the first single off his upcoming double album Blue Electric Light, dropping March 15.

“TK421” is described as a “fast-paced rock ‘n’ roll romp,” with a nod to Boogie Nights and Star Wars.

Kravitz has also dropped a new video for the song, which is certainly racy. He’s practically naked for a good portion of the clip, with his chiseled body on display for fans to see. 

You can listen to “TK421” now via digital outlets and watch the NSFW video on YouTube.

Blue Electric Light is Kravitz’s 12th studio album and his first album in five years. His last release was 2018’s Raise Vibration.

The album is available for preorder now.

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KISS is being sued by the family of their late guitar tech, Fran Stueber, who passed away from COVID-19, which he contracted while on tour with the band.

Rolling Stone has obtained court documents filed by Fran’s widow, Catherine Stueber, along with other family members, who are suing Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley for negligence and wrongful death. KISS manager Doc McGhee, tour promoter Live Nation and Marriott International are also named in the suit.

Fran Stueber, who was Stanley’s longtime guitar tech, passed away in October 2021, after contracting COVID-19 during the band’s End of the Road tour. The court documents suggest the “dangerous condition created by Defendants” led to his death, noting, “the failure to enforce or have adequate Covid-19 policies or procedures caused a Covid-19 outbreak amongst band members and tour personnel.” It also claims that after coming down with COVID, Stueber was abandoned in Detroit to quarantine at a hotel.

The docs say Stueber called McGhee for help when he got sicker, and the manager said he was sending a doctor but allegedly never did. Instead, a crew member was sent and found Stueber unresponsive. Stueber passed away two days later. 

The family is suing for unspecified special damages, damages relating to past, present and/or future wage loss and income, and medical expenses.

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Madonna‘s long-awaited Celebration Tour kicks off October 14 in London. Speaking to BBC, her musical director Stuart Price says the Queen of Pop “looks incredible, sounds incredible, performs incredible” and that the show will feature more than 40 songs, in one form or another.

While this is essentially a “greatest hits” tour, Price explains, “A greatest hit doesn’t have to be a song. It can be a wardrobe, it can be a video, or a statement. Every great moment she’s had, we took a bit of it.”

Price revealed that about 25 songs will be performed in full, with elements of 20 other songs appearing as interpolations or bridges between acts. He explains the set list won’t change because everything is so “highly rehearsed” but adds that Madonna’s “personality is so strong, her interaction with the audience is so strong, that it creates opportunities for variation from night to night.”

According to Price, the show has a compelling storyline that reflects Madonna’s journey, incorporating news footage, classic costumes and music videos. But the big change, he reveals, is that there’s no live band. Instead, Madonna will be performing backed by her original multi-track recordings. 

“There are live musicians that perform at different parts of the show,” says Price. “But what we realized is that the original recordings are our stars. Those things can’t be replicated and can’t be recreated, so we decided just to embrace that.”

“A lot of the powerful moments [in this show] are to do with where the music intersects with something that society was going through, especially something emotional, like the AIDS crisis,” he adds. “Those moments are incredibly powerful.”

Madonna will do four nights at London’s O2 arena before moving on to the rest of Europe.

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Rod Stewart has revealed he refuses to perform in Saudi Arabia because of the nation’s treatment of women and the LGBTQ+ community.

“I’m grateful that I have a choice whether or not to perform in Saudi Arabia. So many citizens there have extremely limited choices… women, the LGBTQ community, the press,” he shared on Instagram. “I’d like my choice not to go … to shine a light on the injustices there and ignite positive change.”

Along with his statement, Stewart linked to an article in The Mirror, which quoted a source who claimed Stewart had turned down huge sums of money to play shows in the nation, including an over $1 million offer to play in Qatar.

The insider noted, “Rod was determined to do the right thing and couldn’t accept the offer, no matter how much money was on the table. Some things are more important.”

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On This Day, October 12, 1981… 

U2 released their second album, October, featuring many songs about religion and spirituality, including “Gloria.”

The band started writing the album during their Boy tour, but after a briefcase with all their new lyrical and musical ideas was stolen backstage in Portland, Oregon, Bono was forced to improvise new lyrics during recording sessions, which he described as chaotic.

After several pleas from Bono to the people of Portland over the years, the briefcase was finally returned to U2 in 2004.

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The Jimi Hendrix documentary Music, Money, Madness … Jimi Hendrix In Maui is getting a special screening in New York City.

The special event will take place October 25 at the LOOK Dine-In Cinemas W57 in Manhattan and will feature a Q&A with the film’s producers: Janie Hendrix, Hendrix’s sister and Experience Hendrix CEO, and John McDermott, who also directed the film. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix’s original audio engineer, will also take part in the Q&A. 

Music, Money, Madness … Jimi Hendrix In Maui follows the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s 1970 visit to Maui and their participation in the critically panned counterculture film Rainbow Bridge, produced by their controversial manager Michael Jeffery. It features never-before-seen original footage, along with new interviews and more.

Tickets for the screening are on sale now.

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