Classic Hits

REO Speedwagon keyboardist Neal Doughty retired last month after 55 years with the band, and now the group is introducing fans to his replacement, Derek Hillard.

“Hi friends, those of you who have caught any of our 2023 shows may have noticed a new face behind the keyboards,” frontman Kevin Cronin writes on Instagram, introducing Hillard. “Coincidentally Neal and Derek met several years ago when Derek was playing in Iron Butterfly. After that show, Neal approached the young keyboardist and complimented his playing; Derek has never forgotten that encounter.”

Cronin shares that Hillard has previously toured with Whitesnake, Foreigner and most recently Rick Springfield, who he worked with for 15 years. Cronin noted that Rick gave him a glowing recommendation. 

“Derek is a bit younger than the rest of us, (who isn’t :), grew up listening to REO Speedwagon, and is a long-time fan of Neal’s keyboard work,” Cronin shares. “He is a perfect fit, and fits right in with our band vibe.”

Finally he writes, “While Neal is certainly irreplaceable, Derek is an extremely gifted keyboardist and a fine singer, who brings renewed enthusiasm to our band. We will carry on, continue to raise the bar musically, and have fun in the process.”

REO Speedwagon is currently on tour and hit Cherokee, North Carolina, on Friday.

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The Grammys are finally happening Sunday in Los Angeles and several of your favorite artists are in the running this year. 

Bonnie Raitt is up for four awards, including Song of the Year for “Just Like That,” which is her first-ever nomination as a songwriter. The tune is also up for Best American Roots Song, while the album Just Like That… is nominated for Best Americana Album and “Made Up Mind” is nominated for Best Americana Performance.

Competing against Raitt for Best Americana Album is Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ Raise the Roof. The album’s track “High and Lonesome” is also in the running for Best American Roots Song, while “Going Where the Lonely Go” is up for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

ABBA is up for four awards, including two in the major categories: “Don’t Shut Me Down” for Record of the Year and Voyage for Album of the Year. They are also up for Best Pop Vocal Album for Voyage and Best Pop/Duo Group Performance for “Don’t Shut Me Down.” Should they pick up a win in any category, it will be the Swedish band’s first Grammy.

Other nominees include Diana Ross‘ Thank You, up for Best Pop Traditional Vocal Album; Elvis Costello & The Imposters‘ The Boy Named If up for Best Rock Album; and Bryan Adams‘ “So Happy It Hurts” up for Best Rock Performance. 

The 65th annual Grammy Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah, air Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Steven Van Zandt is teaming up with independent music publisher Primary Wave Music in a new deal that encompasses the E Street Band member’s music publishing and recorded music catalogs.

The multimillion dollar deal includes Little Steven’s name and likeness rights, as well as a stake in producer royalties. That will encompass his work with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, like “I Don’t Want To Go Home” and “This Time it’s For Real,” and with Bruce Springsteen on such albums as The River and Born in the U.S.A., and songs like “Hungry Heart” and “Dancing in the Dark.”

“Couldn’t be more excited to explore this partnership,” Van Zandt shares. “They have an incredible track record for being creative and proactive. Looking forward to seeing what kind of fun we can have with these songs I’m still really proud of.”

Van Zandt is currently on tour with Springsteen and the E Street Band. They play Atlanta, Georgia, Friday.

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Def Leppard spent last summer on tour with Mötley Crüe, and while you’d think there’d be a lot of partying going on behind the scenes, Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott says the threat of COVID kept that from being the case. 

“The safest way for us to keep that show on the road was just to avoid human beings as best we could,” he tells Classic Rock. “So all of us in Leppard traveled separately, which is the smartest decision we made. I didn’t stay in hotels. I lived on the bus, just me and Dale, my driver, in total isolation.“ 

He adds, “That’s the price of doing business in 2022. If we cancel a stadium show in Arlington, Texas at four in the afternoon, people will have travelled hundreds of miles and spent hundreds of dollars to get there. So we avoided contact, we tested every day, and it worked. We didn’t lose one gig.” 

And for all those who expected backstage to be one big party, Elliott notes, “You know, we act like children on stage but we’re actually quite responsible people when we need to be.”

And Elliott’s getting ready to do it all again. Their tour with Mötley Crüe relaunches February 10 and 11 in Atlantic City, before heading to Mexico City, Mexico, February 18. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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We now know the cause of death for singer/actress Irene Cara, who passed away November 25 at the age of 63.

According to Yahoo Entertainment, the Pinellas County, Florida, medical examiner has ruled the Fame star died of natural causes, blaming high cholesterol and hypertension. The report notes she suffered from cholesterol/plaque buildup in the arteries and hypertensive cardiovascular disease due to high blood pressure. Diabetes also contributed to her condition. 

After landing roles in Roots: The Next Generations and the 1976 cult film Sparkle, Cara got her big break when she was cast as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 film Fame. The role had her singing two of the movie’s signature songs, the title track, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song, and “Out Here On My Own,” which was also nominated for an Oscar.

She also co-wrote “Flashdance…What a Feeling,” the theme song for the movie Flashdance, which went to number one on the Hot 100. It won the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original song, as well as the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

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Queen is out with the latest installment of their yearlong YouTube series Queen The Greatest Live. This week’s episode focuses on rehearsals for 1986’s The Magic Tour.

The 26-date Magic Tour, which hit stadiums in the United Kingdom and Europe, wound up being frontman Freddie Mercury’s final shows and had the band playing a set list that featured almost 30 songs. The episode gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsals for the songs “Tear It Up,” “I Want To Break Free” and “Now I’m Here.”

According to the band’s multimedia collaborator Simon Lupton, it’s apparent the video featured in the episode wasn’t official and the band probably didn’t know it was being recorded. He notes, “Although it would have been very much frowned upon at the time, it now gives us a rare and fascinating insight into the rehearsal process,” calling the video footage a “rare gem.”

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Some more artists have been added to Sunday night’s Grammy Awards. CBS Mornings revealed that the latest additions to the show include Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Chris Stapleton, who’ll perform together on the telecast.

The program noted that Wonder chose Stapleton for the performance, although right now there’s no word on what the trio will be performing. 

Smokey’s addition comes on the same day he’s set to be honored as one of the Recording Academy’s MusiCares Persons of the Year, alongside Motown founder Berry Gordy.

The new additions join already announced Grammy performers Mick Fleetwood, Bonnie Raitt and Sheryl Crow, who’ll pay tribute to the late Fleetwood Mac star Christine McVie, as well as Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras and Sam Smith.

The 65th annual Grammy Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah, will air at 8 p.m. ET Sunday on CBS.

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Madonna polled her fans on what songs they most want to hear her perform on her upcoming Celebration Tour — or, as she put it, “Think of me as your waitress….. What songs would you like on the menu?” And it looks like she’s giving us a peek into her appetizers and main course.

On her Instagram Story, Madonna is seen writing down the titles of some of her most beloved hits, as well as some songs that weren’t singles but are fan favorites. They include “Rescue Me,” “Like a Prayer,” “Physical Attraction,” “Papa Don’t Preach,” “Bad Girl,” “Human Nature,” “Crazy for You,” “Lucky Star” and “Erotica.”

Whether or not Madonna actually performs these songs is anybody’s guess. According to Setlist.FM, “Like a Prayer,” “Human Nature” and “Papa Don’t Preach” are among her top 10 most-performed songs, so those may be a safe bet. Then again, Madonna doesn’t like to repeat herself.

Madonna’s Celebration Tour kicks off July 15 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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Former British rock star Gary Glitter is a free man. The BBC reports that Glitter, best known for his hit “Rock & Roll (Part 2),” was released from prison on Friday. He’d been serving a 16-year sentence for various sexual offenses against minors.

Glitter was released after serving only half of his sentence at a prison on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. His fixed-term sentence meant he’d automatically be freed halfway through.

Glitter, born Paul Gadd, was sentenced back in 2015 on charges involving three young girls between the ages of 10 and 13. Those charges included attempted rape, unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and four counts of indecent assault.

But while Glitter’s out of jail, he isn’t completely free. He will be monitored by probation officers, with a Ministry of Justice spokesperson noting he’ll “face some of the strictest license conditions.” He will also have to wear a GPS tracker.

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John Oates is out with a new single today. The Daryl Hall & John Oates star has released the new tune “Disconnected.”

“There are always times in our lives when we all feel “Disconnected” from some thing or someone …emotionally, physically, spiritually, or any of the above,” Oates shares, “but the important thing is to never give up hope and strive to find a way to pull it all back together.”

He adds, “’Disconnected’ was an idea that I had in my digital archives that I rediscovered during the pandemic…the theme felt even more timely.”

“Disconnected” is the second of a series of tracks Oates will release each month. It follows last month’s single, “Pushin’ a Rock.”

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