Classic Hits

Over the holidays, there were rumors that Cher and her boyfriend, music executive Alexander “A.E.” Edwards, had gotten engaged because he gave her a massive ring. Well, not only were the two never engaged, but now they’ve split.

E! News has confirmed that Cher and Edwards broke up a few weeks ago, but reports it was amicable. The two were first spotted together in November 2022, and she then confirmed their relationship on Twitter. They’ve appeared at several red carpet events together, and in March, she said that they were working together on songs for her upcoming album.

The last time the two were seen together in public was on March 12, when they attended Versace’s fall/winter 2023 fashion show in LA and hung out with Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa and Elton John.

Last year, Cher, 76, discussed their romance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, saying, “Well, on paper, it kinda ridiculous, but in real life, we get along great. He’s fabulous … he’s very kind, he’s very smart, he’s very talented and he’s really funny … and I think he’s quite handsome!”

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On This Day, May 2, 2005…

Eric Clapton reunited with his former Cream bandmates Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce for four nights of shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

The concerts took place at the very same venue where the band held their final concert in 1968. While they had reunited for a short set for the band’s 1993 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, the concerts were their first full shows together in almost four decades. 

All four shows were immediate sellouts, and featured the first-ever performances of “Pressed Rat and the Wart Hog” and “Badge,” along with such Cream classics as “White Room,” “Sunshine of Your Love” and more.

The concerts were recorded and later released as a live CD and DVD.

The trio eventually brought the reunion to the U.S. with three shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden that October.

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On Monday’s The Tonight Show, John Fogerty joined host Jimmy Fallon and his house band The Roots in the Tonight Show Music Room for a rendition of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” — performed with classroom instruments.

In the recurring segment, Fallon and The Roots back music artists for a version of one of their popular songs, using instruments you would find in a classroom.

In this case, it was Fogerty, rocking a toy guitar, while Fallon blew into a jug and Roots members played a toy xylophone, a melodica and kazoos.

Past music room guests have included Ringo Starr, The Who and Aerosmith.

Fogerty just kicked off his Celebration Tour, which pulls into the BeachLife Festival 2023 in Redondo Beach, California May 5-7.

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Two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Graham Nash is set to talk about his career and more during a conversation with music journalist Anthony DeCurtis at the 92nd Street Y in New York City later this month.

“I’ve talked to Anthony many times in my life and he’s always been very respectful, and me also to him,” Nash shares on social media. “So, we’re gonna have a really nice night. I’m gonna be talking about my book of photographs and my new album that’s coming out and a lot of interesting stuff.”

The conversation is happening May 24 at 8 p.m. For those who can’t make it to the Big Apple, the conversation will be streamed online. In-person and online tickets are on sale now.

Nash is set to release his first new album in seven years, Now, on May 19. He’s described it as “the most personal album I’ve ever recorded.” It is available for preorder now. His photo book, A Life in Focus: The Photography of Graham Nash, is out now.

Nash is also currently on tour and will kick off a three-night stand in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Tuesday, May 2. A complete list of dates can be found at grahamnash.com.

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Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian singer-songwriter whose hits “Sundown” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” helped to define folk rock, died Monday evening at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto of natural causes, his publicist Victoria Lord confirmed to ABC News. He was 84.

Lightfoot’s rise to fame began in the mid-1960s with folk classics such as “Early Morning Rain” and “For Loving Me.” His first U.S. hit came in 1970 with “If You Could Read My Mind,” which made it to #12 on the Billboard charts. He followed that up with 1974’s “Sundown” — his only song to reach #1 in both Canada and the U.S. — as well as the top 10 “Carefree Highway” that same year. In 1976, he reached #2 with “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

He served as an inspiration for other Canadian songwriters, including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Another admirer was Bob Dylan, who appeared at the 1986 Juno Awards — Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys — to induct Lightfoot into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Lightfoot dealt with several health issues throughout his career. Facial paralysis from Bell’s palsy sidelined him in the early ‘70s, while alcohol abuse led him to quit drinking in 1982. That same year, he experienced an abdominal aortic aneurysm and spent six weeks in a coma. Lightfoot went on to recover and release his final studio album, 2004’s Harmony, recorded before he fell ill.

In 2023, Lightfoot canceled a string of concert dates for unspecified health reasons.

Fellow Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams mourned Lightfoot on Twitter, writing, “Once in a blue moon you get to work and hang out with one of the people you admired when you were growing up. I was lucky enough to say Gordon was my friend and I’m gutted to know he’s gone.”

“The world is a lesser place without him,” he continued. “I know I speak for all Canadians when I say: thank you for the songs Gordon Lightfoot. Bless your sweet songwriting heart, RIP dear friend.”

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The ’80s were certainly a good time for Rick Springfield, so he’s celebrating them with a brand new tour.

The “Jesse’s Girl” singer is set to headline the “I Want My 80s” summer tour, featuring Tommy Tutone, and The Hooters and Paul Young on select dates. 

The tour kicks off August 4 in Youngstown, Ohio, and wraps September 17 in Fresno, California.

Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday, May 5, at 10 a.m. local time. A complete list of dates can be found at rickspringfield.com.

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Tim Bachman, guitarist and one of the co-founders of the Canadian band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, passed away Friday, April 28, at age 71. Well, now his brother and bandmate Randy Bachman has broken his silence for the first time since the news hit.

“I haven’t posted because my heart has been heavy but the news has announced my brother Tim passed this weekend,” he shares on social media. “I am the last of my family on this side with all my memories of our life growing up in Winnipeg. So grateful for that.”

He adds, “I’m sure my parents welcomed him home with my other 2 brothers who have passed in quick succession since the pandemic. I was the oldest. Rest in Peace, Timmy with mummy, daddy, Gary & Robbie.”

Randy, Tim and their other brother Robbie were in BTO together. Robbie passed away in January at the age of 69.

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Many fans wondered if Elton John was serious about his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour really, truly being his last one. Well, Elton has once again insisted that it is … and he can’t wait until it’s over.

Speaking to Deadline over the weekend, Elton says, “I’m not going to tour again. There may be the odd show, but I’m not touring. Touring is exhausting for me now, and it takes me away from my family and my children.”

In fact, the Rocket Man says he’s literally counting down the days until the end of the tour and hasn’t even thought of what he’s going to do next.

“I finish on July the 8th, and I’m not concentrating on anything else apart from that date,” he said. “And then I have a little bit of freedom. I can relax. But I would have done 330 shows on this tour by that point.”

Elton’s tour is already the highest grossing of all time, and he’s still got plenty of shows left to do — including his first headlining appearance at the U.K.’s most prestigious festival, Glastonbury, in June.

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After postponing their 2022 North American tour back in August, Crowded House is finally ready to hit the road this week, and they’re doing what they can to get fans psyched for it.

The band will kick off their North American tour on Tuesday, May 2, in Vancouver. To coincide with the launch they’ve teamed up with the online outlet Fang TV to share some new content, including videos from past and recent shows, video clips, interviews and more.

The monthlong content will start at 8:30 p.m. PT, just when the band takes the stage in Vancouver — and they promise there will even be some footage from the tour. Fans can watch at neilfinn.com and fangradio.com. 

Crowded House was supposed to kick off their tour in September 2022, but the shows were postponed after drummer Elroy Finn, son of frontman Neil Finn, hurt his back. The current tour is set to run through May 30 in Boston, Massachusetts. A complete list of dates can be found at crowdedhouse.com.

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Robert Plant and Alison Krauss played New Orleans Jazz Fest on Friday, but that wasn’t the only Plant performance this weekend. Jambands.com reports that Plant made a surprise appearance at Preservation Hall in the French Quarter for an intimate performance in front of about 100 people. 

Plant’s performance was a part of the Midnight Preserve show, which usually features unknown artists. He joined Irma Thomas, known as the “Soul Queen of New Orleans,” to perform the 2007 Raising Sand track “Rich Girl,” and also treated the audience to the Led Zeppelin classic “Black Dog.”

The second weekend of New Orleans Jazz Fest kicks off Thursday, May 4. The lineup includes Santana, Dead & Company, Mumford & Sons and Melissa Etheridge. The complete lineup can be found at nojazzfest.com.

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