Classic Hits

John Fogerty launched his solo career 50 years ago, and now, he’s celebrating the milestone with two new vinyl reissues.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is set to release his debut solo album, Blue Ridge Rangers, and its follow-up, the self-titled John Fogerty, on vinyl for the first time.

Following the demise of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fogerty released Blue Ridge Rangers in April 1973, playing every instrument on the record. It featured two Top 40 singles: “Jambalaya,” which went to #16, and “Hearts of Stone,” which went to #37. 

The follow-up, John Fogerty, was released in September 1975 and featured the track “Rockin’ All Over the World,” which became a huge hit when it was covered by the British band Status Quo.  

Both albums will be released August 25 and are available for preorder now. 

Fogerty is continuing the anniversary celebration with his current Celebration Tour, which hits Franklin, Tennessee, on Tuesday, July 25. A complete list of dates can be found at johnfogerty.com.

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Tony Bennett may be gone, but he won’t be forgotten: A documentary about his surprising collaborative relationship with Lady Gaga is coming in September.

That’s according to Tony’s son and manager, Danny Bennett, who tells Variety, “We’re finishing this documentary called The Lady and the Legend, which is going to be on Paramount+ in September, and it chronicles their 10-year relationship.”

Danny points out that the documentary is different than the 2021 CBS TV special One Last Time, which captured their final performances together at Radio City Music Hall in celebration of Bennett’s 95th birthday.

“You’re seeing backstage, where people are like, ‘He has no idea where he is,'” explains Danny. “And Gaga, rightfully, was like, ‘Is this the right thing to do?’ But I just knew that when he hit that stage, it was going to all come back. It went so well that I actually got accused of saying that he had Alzheimer’s as a publicity stunt, because people didn’t believe it.”

Danny also says the documentary will cover Gaga’s life before Tony, when she was struggling following her split with her manager and the poor response to her album Artpop.

“She was not feeling great about things…and she was doubting herself,” says Danny. “And you watch Tony nurturing her, and telling her to move straight ahead and believe in herself. And then all of a sudden at the end, she is supporting him. It’s a full circle and it’s beautiful.”

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On This Day, July 25, 1980…

AC/DC released their seventh studio album Back in Black, which was their first album following the death of singer Bon Scott.

The album featured new lead singer Brian Johnson, and contained such future AC/DC classics as the title track, “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Hells Bells.”

Back in Black was a massive hit for the Aussie rockers, becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time. It sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide, and was certified 25-times Platinum by the RIAA.

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After recently wrapping the European and U.K. leg of their Stadium Tour with Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard is giving fans another behind-the-scenes video from the trek, this time sharing a look at what went down at their show in Switzerland and their massive concert at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Guitarist Phil Collen says the show at Wembley was a “really big deal” for the band because it was their first time headlining the stadium.

“In a way, it’s a journey that’s lasted 45 years ‘Cause when we were growing up and forming the band, we had little goals, but we always knew at the back of our minds, there was the big goal,” bassist Rick Savage adds of the show. “And here we are — this was the big goal, Wembley Stadium. In England, to English people, it doesn’t come much bigger than Wembley Stadium.”

Savage said getting to play Wembley was an “emotional” experience for the band, sharing, “it proves something to us, to ourselves, that we’ve actually made it this far for this long.” 

Drummer Rick Allen also recalls the first time the band was onstage at Wembley, when they were guests at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert in 1992. He called it one of his “most incredible mind-blowing experiences,” adding, “it was just friggin’ awesome.”

The Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe Stadium Tour returns to North America on Saturday, August 6, in Syracuse, New York. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com. 

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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If you’re going to insult Bruce Springsteen, you better be ready for the consequences, as one person on social media recently found out when they dared to question The Boss’ “mental state.”

It all started when someone on Twitter posed a question to E Street Band members Garry Tallent, Steve Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren, which was basically a complaint about Springsteen playing very similar sets each night on tour.

“This is a serious question. Is Bruce’s mental state in decline? Is he just unable to perform other songs?” the user wrote. “These rinse and repeat shows are such the opposite of greatness.” 

Tallent was quick to shut the Twitter troll down, and it was clear he wasn’t happy, writing, “You are f****** kidding, right??”

And he wasn’t the only one who clapped back. Kathi Van Zandt, sister of Steve Van Zandt, responded, “Why don’t you stay home and let some real fans take your ticket? Decline? This man and this band play for three hours—performing from an extraordinary songbook most artists only dream about.” 

Fans still have plenty of chances to see just how mentally fit Bruce Springsteen is. He wraps his European tour in Monza, Italy, on Tuesday, July 25, and kicks off a new North American leg with two shows, August 9 and 11 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

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Another long-lost Steely Dan song has hit the internet.

The tune was posted by the Expanding Dan website, although it’s not actually a song, but a jingle Donald Fagen wrote for the Milwaukee beer company Schlitz.

According to Vulture, “The Schlitz Jingle” was recorded before the band began making 1973’s Countdown To Ecstasy, but the commercial never saw the light of day because it includes the Spanish word for “grab,” which apparently sounded an awful lot like a Spanish curse. 

The release of the jingle comes about a month after Expanding Dan released the “The Second Arrangement,” a 1979 Steely Dan song thought to be lost after a studio technician erased it. Like “The Second Arrangement,” the jingle was released by the daughter of the band’s late longtime engineer Roger Nichols.

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It’s never too early or too late to introduce your family to the spotlight. That seems to be Rod Stewart‘s motto anyway.

A few weeks after he brought his 94-year-old sister Mary onstage for one of his shows in Scotland, People reports that during his concert in Spain on Saturday, July 22, Rod brought out his baby grandsons Louie and Otis. The boys, who were born three days apart in May, came onstage with their moms: Rod’s daughter Ruby Stewart and Nicole Artukovich, fiancée of Rod’s son Liam Stewart.

Ruby is Rod’s daughter with Kelly Emberg, who was his partner from 1983 to 1990. Liam is Rod’s son from his marriage to Rachel Hunter, which lasted from 1990 to 2006. 

People reports that Ruby later posted a photo on her Instagram Story of Otis wearing noise-canceling headphones, with his hand over his face. “Grandads production was a little too bright and loud for my liking,” she captioned the photo.

On his own Instagram Story on July 23, Rod posted an adorable photo of himself holding Louie and Otis on his lap, one in each arm. The soccer-loving singer captioned the pic, “Louie on the right wing — Otis on the left wing —Grandad down the middle.”

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The latest edition of Classic Rock magazine celebrates the 50th anniversary of AC/DC, with members of Def Leppard, ZZ Top, Cheap Trick and more sharing stories of the band and their favorite albums. One of those sharing is KISS’ Paul Stanley, who reveals why 1980’s Back in Black is his favorite AC/DC record.

“When Brian Johnson joined AC/DC, I was curious – like everyone was – about how that would impact the band and the chemistry they had with Bon Scott,” Stanley says about the band’s first album following Scott’s February 1980 death. “But what they created with Back In Black was just monumental.” 

He adds, “They were building on what they’d done before, moving forward. That kind of bare-bones grit they had in the early days was replaced with this driving sonic overload. But it was so brilliant. I thought what was gained overrode what was lost.”

Stanley says he knew AC/DC were “the real deal” after the first time he saw them perform at the Whisky A Go Go in the seventies. He notes, “They were so gritty, and the adrenaline level was just crazy. The amount of energy that Angus [Young] was expending on stage was mind boggling.”

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Tom Jones is not happy that his classic song “Delilah” is no longer being played at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

The stadium had removed the song from halftime playlists in 2015 because of its controversial lyrics about the murder of a women by her jealous partner, and in February, also banned choirs from performing the tune there.

The BBC reports that Jones addressed the banning during his recent concert Cardiff Castle, urging fans to continue singing it regardless of any bans.

“You can’t stop us singing ‘Delilah.’ Can you imagine… Who was the man who didn’t want us to sing ‘Delilah’?,” he told the crowd. “He stopped the choir from singing but he didn’t stop the crowd from singing it. And we will keep singing it too.”

At the time of the banning, the Welsh Rugby Union released a statement saying it “condemns domestic violence of any kind,” adding of the song, “we are respectfully aware that it is problematic and upsetting to some supporters because of its subject matter.”

Jones previously commented on the controversy surrounding the tune, arguing people were taking it too literally and that it didn’t make light of violence against women.

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Cher is ready to launch her next venture, and it sure sounds like a sweet one. The singer revealed on social media that she’s getting into the ice cream business with her very own gelato. 

She shared the news alongside a video of an orange and pink “Cherlato” truck with images of Cher eating ice cream on it.

“Yep, This Is Real…I’m Launching My Gelato Line. Watch Out LA!!” she wrote, adding, “All Started 5 Years Ago And Now It’s Finally HAPPENING.” 

The official Instagram account for Cherlato reveals a bit of the story behind the sweet treat, which is being curated by Cher but created by Giapo ice cream.

“A few years ago, Cher met Giapo and together, the pair brainstormed, taste-tested, experimented and eventually conceived Cherlato – the boldest and coldest gelato creations LA has ever had,” reads a post on the account. “If you like gelato, you’re gonna love Cherlato.”

Fans seem to be all for Cher’s gelato line, with some offering names for flavors. Inspired by her many hits, suggestions include Ginseng, Tramps, and Thieves; If I Could Turn Back Lime and Dark Chocolate Lady.

Another offered a very Cher tagline, commenting, “Do You Believe In Ice Cream After Lunch.”

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