Bob Dylan won an Academy Award for best original song for “Things Have Changed,” from the Michael Douglas/Tobey Maguire movie Wonder Boys.
The category also featured songs from Sting, Björk, Randy Newman and others.
Dylan was not at the ceremony to accept the award in person as he was in Australia on tour. A recording of him and his band performing the song in Sydney was included in the Oscars telecast via satellite. He also gave his acceptance speech from the Aussie city.
“Things Have Changed,” which also won the Golden Globe for best original song, would wind up appearing on several Dylan compilation albums, including 2000’s The Essential Bob Dylan, 2005’s The Best of Bob Dylan and 2007’s Dylan.
Singer/songwriter Chip Taylor onstage during An Evening With Chip Taylor at The GRAMMY Museum on August 20, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Sullivan/Getty Images)
Chip Taylor, songwriter of such hits as “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning,” has died at the age of 86. The news was confirmed in a post on his official Facebook page.
“Hi all – we are sad to tell you that Chip passed away last night. His last days were peaceful,” read the post signed by his children Kris and Kelly. “Chip loved the amazing blessing it was to connect with people through music and truly appreciated this community. He considered you all friends. We will miss him greatly.”
Taylor, born James Wesley Voight, was the younger brother of actor Jon Voight. He had his first big hit with “Wild Thing,” which was a #1 hit for the Troggs in 1966. Their version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2019. Jimi Hendrix also gave a memorable performance of the track at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, where he set his guitar on fire at the end.
Taylor’s other big hit, “Angel of the Morning,” has been covered by several artists. Merrilee Rush’s 1968 version of the song was the first to hit the top 10, peaking at #7. Juice Newton also charted with the track, with her 1981 version peaking at #4. The song was also interpolated for Shaggy’s 2001 hit “Angel,” which went to #1 on the Hot 100.
Taylor wrote several other pop and country songs over the years, which have been recorded by such artists as Tom Petty, Janis Joplin, The Hollies, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, Willie Nelson and more.
Taylor was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016.
Ace Frehley’s Les Paul guitar (Courtesy of Julien’s Auctions)
Personal items from the late KISS guitarist Ace Frehley are among the pieces of memorabilia up for sale at Julien’s Auctions upcoming Music Icons auction.
Over 800 items will be part of the auction, including instruments from Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward and more.
The highlight of this year’s auction is Frehley’s most played 1975 Les Paul guitar, which is expected to sell for between $400,000 and $600,000. According to a press release, the guitar was Frehley’s “constant companion” from the beginning of his career and was used “more than any other guitar in his arsenal.”
Other Frehley memorabilia up for grabs include a 1977 tour jacket, a full-length kimono from the Rock & Roll Over Tour era and a purple velvet stage-worn jumpsuit.
Also part of the Music Icons auction is Hammett’s first Ouija ESP custom guitar, which is signed with an inscription from the rocker; Vaughan’s 1969 Guild F-412 Twelve String guitar, played during his 1990 MTV Unplugged performance; Ward’s used Zildjian Gong and RIAA Platinum records; and former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin’s 1987 Gibson HR Fusion 1 guitar, used during the recording of the band’s debut album, Appetite for Destruction.
Bidding for items will open online April 27, with the two-day live auction happening May 29 -30 at the Hard Rock Café Times Square in New York. More info can be found at JuliensAuctions.com.
Highlights from the auction will be on display at the Hard Rock Piccadilly Circus in London through April 13, before moving to Japan’s Hard Rock Café Tokyo for display on April 27. Additional items will go on display at the Hard Rock in New York starting May 13.
Graham Nash performs onstage during the FIREAID Benefit Concert for California Fire Relief at The Kia Forum on January 30, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for FIREAID)
Graham Nash has extended his 2026 tour through the summer.
The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has announced a new set of tour dates, which include co-headlining shows with Emmylou Harris.
The new summer shows begin July 7 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and run through Aug. 4 in Alexandria, Virginia. Nash is also booked to play the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival Sept. 19 in Fredricton, New Brunswick, Canada.
Nash and Harris will co-headline three dates of the tour: July 23 in Interlochen, Michigan; July 24 in Rochester Hills, Michigan; and July 26 in Highland Park, Illinois. Nash will also appear as special guest at the Avett Brothers’ July 12 show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.
A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at GrahamNash.com.
Nash will next launch a spring leg of the tour, starting April 4 in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania.
(L-R) Elwood Francis, Frank Beard, and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top perform on stage at Viejas Casino & Resort on November 02, 2025 in Alpine, California. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)
ZZ Top has expanded their 2026 The Big One! tour to include dates in Mexico and South America.
The band will play three shows in Mexico, starting with a Nov. 9 concert in Guadalajara, and followed by shows in Mexico City and Monterrey.
The tour then heads to South America — the band’s first time there in 16 years — starting Nov. 16 in Santiago, Chile. The tour will then hit three cities in Brazil, before wrapping Nov. 24 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“ZZ Top is looking forward to bringing its rock ‘n’ roll roadshow back to our amigos in Argentina, Brazil and Chile and they know that we’re ready to rock,” says Billy F Gibbons. “We are always excited to be with our longtime friends, fans and followers en Mexico.”
A presale for tickets begins Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time, with tickets for most shows going on sale Friday. Tickets for shows in Santiago and Buenos Aires go on sale to the general public April 17.
ZZ Top’s next concert is Tuesday in Greeley, Colorado. They will also be bringing The Big One! tour to Europe, with a mix of festival appearances and headlining dates. The tour starts June 13 in Estonia.
A complete list of dates can be found at ZZTop.com.
May will mark the 60th anniversary of The Beach Boys’ iconic album Pet Sounds, and the milestone is being celebrated with a whole host of new releases.
On May 15, fans will get a glimpse of the making of the album with the release of The Pet Sounds Sessions Highlights, featuring material from the 1997 four-CD box set The Pet Sounds Sessions. The new release contains 25 alternate takes, a cappella versions and tracking sessions, all of which are making their vinyl debut.
The Pet Sounds Sessions Highlightswill be released as a two-CD set or two-LP set. The LP versions will be released on standard black vinyl and limited-edition splatter/color variants. Also on May 15, the original 90-track The Pet Sounds Sessions will be released to digital services.
As a preview of the new set, a three-track EP featuring different versions of the Pet Sounds song “Sloop John B” is out now.
The Pet Sounds 60th anniversary will also be celebrated with the release of a Vinylphyle Edition of the album on 180-gram black vinyl, and cut from the original mono and stereo analog tapes. Interscope-Capitol’s Definitive Sound Series will also release a limited-edition pressing of 6,000numbered copies of the album in the original mono configuration.
Released May 16, 1966, Pet Sounds is often considered one of the best albums of all time. Recorded a year after Brian Wilson quit touring and suffered a breakdown in 1964, the album featured such classic Beach Boys songs as “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “God Only Knows” and “Sloop John B.”
The album peaked at #10 on the Billboard Album chart; in 2004 it was chosen by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.
Cover of ‘Gregg Allman Band’s Great As Ever: Live In Philadelphia ’86’ (Sawrite Records)
A previously unreleased live recording of Gregg Allman in concert is set for release in April.
Gregg Allman Band’s Great As Ever: Live In Philadelphia ’86 features a never-before-heard recording from the late rocker’s personal archives. It captures Allman’s Jan. 11, 1986, concert at the intimate Chestnut Cabaret in Philadelphia.
The 13-song set features an early version of what would become Allman’s hit track “I’m No Angel,” as well as the solo track “Queen of Hearts” and performances of Allman Brothers Band classics like “Midnight Rider,” “It’s Not My Cross To Bear” and “Melissa,” the latter of which was dedicated to his ABB bandmate Dickey Betts, despite their then-estrangement.
Gregg Allman Band’s Great As Ever: Live In Philadelphia ’86 will be released April 10 and is available for preorder now.
And Gregg Allman fans have more to look forward to in 2026. The documentary Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul is expected to premiere in theaters this summer. The film, directed by Grammy and Golden Globe award-winning filmmaker James Keach, will feature never-before-seen interviews and rare archival performances.
Chaka Khan, Men At Work and former Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs are among the acts set to play the annual Sea.Hear.Now festival, happening Sept. 19-20 in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
The beachside festival will feature over 25 artists, including headliners Mumford & Sons and The Strokes. The lineup also includes Goo Goo Dolls, Shaggy, Ziggy Marley, The Offspring, The All-American Rejects, Pixies and Jarod Clemons, son of the late E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons.
A presale for tickets begins Thursday at 10 a.m. ET, with tickets going on sale to the general public at 11 a.m. Presale registration is now open.
Sea.Hear.Now launched in 2018 and in the past has featured such artists as Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Lenny Kravitz, Blondie, Stevie Nicks and Billy Idol.
Bruce Springsteen performs during Democracy Now! 30th Anniversary Event at Riverside Church on March 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)
Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith and Michael Stipe were among the performers at Democracy Now!’s 30th anniversary event at Riverside Church in New York City Monday night.
Springsteen was a surprise guest and treated the audience to a performance of his new protest song “Streets of Minneapolis.”
“This past winter when federal troops brought death and terror into the streets of Minneapolis they picked the wrong city,” Springsteen said. “The power and the solidarity of the people of Minneapolis was an inspiration to the entire country. Their strength and their commitment told us that this is still America and the reactionary nightmare and the invasion of an American city will not stand,” he added. “Their strength gave us hope. They gave us courage.”
“And for those who gave their lives,” he continued, mentioning Renée Good and Alex Pretti — two Minneapolis residents who were fatally shot by federal agents — “their bravery their sacrifice and their names will not be forgotten.”
Following the song, Springsteen was asked about his upcoming Land of Hope and Dreams American tour, sharing that he’s going to hit cities that “had to deal with ICE.” With the trek ending in Washington, D.C., he added he has a “few words to say to the f***** White House.”
Elsewhere during the evening, Stipe was joined by The National’s Aaron Dessner to perform the track “No Time For Love Like Now,” originally recorded with Big Red Machine and featuring Justin Vernon. Smith, joined by her daughter, Jesse Smith, and guitarist Tony Shanahan, read a passage from her book Bread of Angels and performed “Peaceable Kingdom,” along with a part of her iconic tune “People Have the Power.”
The night ended with all the musicians coming on stage for an encore of Smith’s “People Have The Power.”
Forty years ago, Van Halen released their seventh studio album, 5150, which was their first record with new lead singer Sammy Hagar, following the departure of original frontman David Lee Roth.
5150 is named after guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s home studio and is also a reference to the California law that allows a mentally disturbed person to be placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold. It went on to become the band’s first #1 album and contained three pop hits: “Dreams,” “Why Can’t This Be Love” and “Love Walks In.”
5150 went on to be certified six-times Platinum by the RIAA.
On Friday, Van Halen will release a special 40th anniversary expanded edition of 5150, featuring a remastered version of the album as well as bonus 7-inch single edits and extended 12-inch tracks.
There’s also a CD featuring unreleased live recordings from Van Halen’s Aug. 27, 1986, concert at New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut, and a Blu-ray with the band’s 1986 concert video Live Without a Net, recorded during the same New Haven show, upgraded to HD for the first time.
