Classic Hits

In a career full of awards and accolades, Sting has received one that really stands out.

Sting has been made a Fellow of The Ivors Academy, the body that presents The Ivor Novello Awards. These awards, which have been handed out since 1956, are the most prestigious music honor in the United Kingdom. They celebrate excellence in British and Irish songwriting, and are peer awards, voted on by other British and Irish songwriters and composers.

Sting has won seven Ivor Novello Awards, including a 2002 Lifetime Achievement Trophy, but being made an Academy Fellow is a bigger deal than that. In its 79-year history, the academy has only inducted 22 Fellows, including Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Elton John, Peter Gabriel, the members of the Bee Gees and Annie Lennox.

“Of all the awards in the world of music, The Ivors are for me, the most prestigious. Songwriting is a skilled craft and The Ivors Academy are its guild,” Sting says in a statement. “So, I am delighted and honored to be offered this Fellowship of the Academy, joining and acknowledging this extraordinary group of fellow songwriters, and all of those who went before us.”

In honor of the, well, honor, Amazon Music — the award ceremony’s new title sponsor — has released an exclusive demo version of “If It’s Love,” a song from Sting’s most recent album, The Bridge. 

The winners of this year’s Ivor Novello Awards will be announced May 18 in London. Nominations come out in April.

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of Queen’s self-titled debut album, and in a new interview, guitarist Brian May says things didn’t necessarily go the way the band wanted them to during the recording process.

“Our major frustration was the sound of that first album, which we were never happy with,” he tells Guitar World. He says the sound at Trident Studios, where they recorded it, “was very dead.”

“It was the opposite of what we were aiming for,” May adds. 

He says the album’s producer, Roy Thomas Baker, said the issues could be fixed during the mixing process, with May noting, “And I think we all knew: it ain’t going to happen!”

But even with the issues, May is still incredibly proud of the album.

“Oh, I love it! It encapsulates what we were at the time, and it’s a declaration of where we were going,” he says. “It’s very emotionally based and quite raw. But it’s got a lot of melody and sh**loads of harmonies.” 

He adds, “We were starting to flex our muscles. We were painting those colors with vocals and with guitars. It’s got all sorts of experimentation, which defines how free we wanted to be.”

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band brought their tour to Houston, Texas Tuesday and treated the crowd to a very rare performance. Rolling Stone reports the set included “If I Was the Priest,” reportedly a fan request, marking the first time The Boss performed the song live since 1972.

“I wrote this song. I was 22. Fifty years ago,” Springsteen told the crowd. “I still don’t have a clue what the f*** it’s about.” 

The last known performance of “If I Was the Priest” reportedly took place in May, 1972 at Gaslight Au Go Go in New York. The song was one Springsteen performed to audition for managers Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos back in February, 1972, as well as during his audition for CBS Records in May of that year. While “If I Was the Priest” has appeared on bootlegs, its first official inclusion on an album came 2020 when Bruce and the E Street Band re-recorded it for Letters to You.

The Houston concert also saw the return of Steven Van Zandt and Soozie Tyrell, who missed shows due to COVID. Unfortunately, guitarist Nils Lofgren was still out due to COVID, the first time since 1981 Lofgren missed a full Springsteen and the E Street Band concert.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s tour hits Austin, Texas on Thursday.

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Since the nominees were announced two weeks ago, fans have been voting online for their favorite Rock & Roll Hall of Fame contenders — and two artists in particular are blowing away the competition: Cyndi Lauper and George Michael.

In the fan vote, Cyndi has more than any of the other 13 nominees — more than 187,000 — while George is close behind with more than 185,000 votes. Of course, neither Cyndi nor George ever lacked fans. What they and other ’80s pop acts haven’t had is Rock Hall recognition — until recently, with the inductions of Pat Benatar, Lionel Richie, Eurythmics, Duran Duran and The Go-Gos.

“I think, particularly, we have seen … this reassessment of the ’80s,” says Jason Hanley, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s VP of education and visitor engagement. “And it’s not just a nostalgia for it. It’s really looking back and sort of doing a little bit of a creative overhaul of how we assess that music and say, ‘There was some great art made in that time period.'”

Hanley tells ABC Audio that even if you don’t like how slick the music of the ’80s was, Cyndi and George are two great examples of artists whose “lasting legacy is their songwriting.” He adds that songs like “True Colors” “have just stuck with people. [They] really reached out and said a lot of important things.” 

He suggests a lot of the issues Cyndi and George referenced in their music, like LGBTQ rights and, in George’s case, coming out, “are things that are still relevant and important in our society now, and speak to large audiences around the world.”

Fan voting is open through April 28 at rockhall.com, with the top five vote-getters comprising a “fans’ ballot,” which will help determine this year’s inductees.  

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Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor revealed last year that he’s been battling stage four prostate cancer, and in a new interview he reveals how he’s not letting it affect his daily life.

The guitarist tells People that while he knows his diagnosis is a “death sentence,” it’s a “slow burn” and he’s currently doing okay thanks to a drug called abiraterone acetate. And while he is still here, he plans to make the most of life, and that includes focusing on his music. 

“Music’s never had a greater value to me,” Andy says. “One of the things that I learned early was, if you keep your mind active and you’re there and physically active, it really does [make a difference]. You’re carrying this grim reaper of a weight.”

Taylor went public with his diagnosis in a letter that his Duran Duran bandmate, Simon Le Bon, read at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony last November, which Taylor says wound up being a “massive relief.” He’s also hoping his public disclosure will help motivate other men to get checked for prostate cancer.

“A lot of this has happened as a consequence of not going to the biggest night of my life. Strange irony,” Taylor says, noting that “if I could get a genie out of a bottle and make one wish, it’s that nobody ever has to go through what I went through.”

Up next: Taylor is planning to release a new solo album, Man’s a Wolf to Man, this spring. He notes, “[I’m] trying to stay alive and live a life, which I am absolutely not giving up on.”

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On This Day, February 15, 1975…

Rush released their sophomore album Fly By Night. It was the Canadian rockers’ first recording with drummer and lyricist Neil Peart.

The album marked the beginning of Rush’s eventual shift from blues-based hard rock to progressive rock inspired by science fiction, fantasy and philosophy. 

Fly By Night peaked at number nine on the Canadian charts but only made it to 113 on the Billboard 200. Rush released two singles from the record: the title track, which landed at 88 on the U.S. singles chart, and “Making Memories,” which didn’t chart. 

Rush’s Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Peart went on to be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Neil Peart passed away from glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, in January 2020.

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Yes has added a new member to the group. The rockers have announced that Jay Schellen is joining the band as their permanent drummer, following the death of original drummer Alan White in May, 2022.

Schellen was personally chosen by White to sit behind the drum kit for their 2016 Topographic Drama tour, and split drumming duties with White from 2018 and beyond. 

“We’re all delighted to welcome Jay officially into the fold!” Yes guitarist Steve Howe shares. “He’s been a great support throughout the last seven years, and we couldn’t have found a better all round team player.” 

Schellen is certainly very familiar with Yes’ music, having previously played alongside keyboardist Geoff Downes and late bassist Chris Squire. He’s also worked with both White and bass guitarist Billy Sherwood. 

“I am thrilled to become the new drummer with YES,” Jay says, “I grew up playing along to YES records and I am proud to have worked so closely with my musical hero and great friend Alan White these past few years.”

Jay adds of White, “I will strive to honor his memory as we drive towards the future with the band.”

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Heart’s Nancy Wilson is ready to start focusing on work behind the scenes of the music business. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has just launched her own music management company, Roadcase Management.

“I believe rock music still has such a meaningful place in the world and I’m ready to go to bat for the new generation of inspired talent,” she tells Billboard. “I want to do this because in today’s world new music needs more of a fighting chance to get through to the fans despite the compartmentalized markets.”

The company has already signed its first client, Portland singer/songwriter Madisenxoxo, who’s set to release the single “You’re So Pretty” this week. “I fell in love with Madisenxoxo’s music the first time I heard it,” Wilson says. “For me it feels like a whole new sound we’ve all been waiting to hear. It borrows from a few classic sound genres that evoke a new cultural context at a time when, I think, the culture is ready for it.”

And while Wilson does plan to sign more acts, she’s not in a rush. She shares, “Developing a roster will take time as we intend to stick to quality over quantity and seek only the right artists for the right reasons.”

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If you were one of the many people who attended the original Woodstock Festival, it’s time to tell your story. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the historic site of the 1969 festival, is expanding its Oral Histories Project across the U.S. to document the memories of fans who attended the historic musical event. 

Curators from The Museum at Bethel Woods are set to hit such cities as Columbus, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City to allow those who attended the concert to record their stories. 

“Realizing the average age of Woodstock attendees is 75 years old, now is the time to find the lost stories of the festival and save their place in history,” said Neal V. Hitch, senior curator of The Museum at Bethel Woods. “In order for the impact of Woodstock to be felt 100 years from now, collecting oral histories of this iconic festival is critical.”

He adds, “It is our goal to find as many attendees as possible and document their firsthand experiences, which will also inspire the next generation of young artists, musicians, and music lovers.”

The Oral Histories Project began in October 2020; as of now over 18,00 stories have been documented. The museum is hoping to get about 4,500 more, which will represent only about 1% of concert attendees.

The pop-ups kick off April 4 in Columbus, followed by San Diego April 25-26, Los Angeles April 27-30 and San Francisco May 8-12, with New York City scheduled for sometime in August. More information can be found at Bethelwoodscenter.org.

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Christopher Cross is the latest artist to sell his catalog. The singer has made a deal with the music rights, publishing and record company Seeker Music, which will now control Cross’ full masters and publishing catalog.

“I’ve been a Christopher Cross fan going back to when I was a kid – I grew up around, and listening to, so many of his contemporaries. He’s an absolute legend!!” Seeker CEO Evan Bogart says. “I’m so proud to have the opportunity to carry his legacy forward and of what we’ve already been able to do with his catalog, and will continue to do this year to keep introducing music fans to Chris’ incredible songs, and timeless songwriting.”

To commemorate the deal, Seeker is planning a yearlong celebration of Cross’ music, which started last week with the release of a 40th anniversary edition of Cross’ sophomore album, Another Page, in spatial audio. They are also planning national events celebrating Chris for this spring and summer, as well as remastered releases and a yearlong remix campaign.

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