Classic Hits

Sting will take part in the 2022 edition of Climate Action Live, an international event that’s being organized by the Peace One Day organization to promote positive action to help the environment.

The event will bring together musicians, actors, environmental activists, business leaders and others for performances, panel discussions and interviews to encourage individuals and organizations to work toward a more sustainable future for the planet while focusing on how peace and climate are interconnected.

The event will begin at 8 a.m. ET on June 21 and will be viewable live on Peace One Day’s Twitter page. Sting will give a performance that will air at 4:10 p.m. ET.

Filmmaker Jeremy Gilley, who founded Peace One Day, says, “The timing of Climate Action Live 21 June is more important this year than ever. Worldwide we’ve seen the devastating effect that conflict over resources manifests so please join the global community and tune into Climate Action Live…and listen to individuals of all ages from across the world as they inform, inspire and engage you towards positive climate action. ‘No Peace — No Climate Action.'”

Gilley founded Peace One Day in 1999 to establish an annual Peace Day that takes place on the same date each year, September 21.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

As Christine McVie prepares to release her first solo compilation, Songbird (A Solo Collection), on June 24, the Fleetwood Mac singer/keyboardist has shared some potentially disappointing news regarding her famous band with Rolling Stone.

Fleetwood Mac finished its most recent tour in 2019, with a lineup that featured Crowded House‘s Neil Finn and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell stepping in for Lindsey Buckingham after Buckingham’s much publicized firing from the group in 2018.

Christine tells the magazine, “Those guys were great. We have a great time with them, but we’ve kind of broke up now, so I hardly ever see them.”

Christine adds that Fleetwood Mac no longer exists “as we know it.” Regarding the band’s future, she says, “We might get back together, but I just couldn’t say for sure.”

Christine, who is 78, also notes that she isn’t sure if she wants to tour again.

“I don’t feel physically up for it,” she maintains. “I’m in quite bad health. I’ve got a chronic back problem, which debilitates me. I stand up to play the piano, so I don’t know if I could actually physically do it.”

In addition, Christine says that her ex-husband, Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie, also has “health issues” and isn’t sure if he wants to tour anymore. “You’d have to ask him,” she adds.

If Fleetwood Mac does decide to hit the road again, Christine says she’d like to have Buckingham back in the band.

“He’s the best,” Christine says. “Neil and Mike were such a cheerful couple, but Lindsey was missed.”

Although she says she’s “quite happy to be at home,” Christine won’t completely rule out another Fleetwood Mac tour.

“I’ll just leave it open and say that we might,” she notes.

You can preorder Songbird now.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Just in time for Father’s Day, Rod Stewart is paying tribute to his late father, Robert, with a video and a concert.

Rod has dropped two teaser videos for “Touchline” from his most recent album, The Tears of Hercules. The song is about his father and, specifically, about how love and tradition is passed down to generations via sports — in this case soccer or, as they call it in the U.K., football. The full video will debut Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

Rod says in a statement, “If you know anything about me, you know that our dad’s love of football has most definitely left its impact on me and my brothers, and I’m delighted that it’s now such an important part of my children’s lives as well. The song ‘Touchline’ was my tribute to him and I’m so happy and moved that the new video takes that to the ultimate level just in time for Father’s Day.”

Rod will also perform a special show in Edinburgh, Scotland, on November 13 in honor of his dad, who was born in Leith, in northern Edinburgh, and died in 1990 at the age of 85. Details on that will be announced soon.

In addition, Rod has announced that select tickets on his U.K. tour this fall will be donated to National Health Service frontline workers. “It’s terrific that we’ll be able to have both NHS workers and doctors and nurses who have been on the front lines these last couple of years as our guests!” he says.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ringo Starr‘s All Starr Band recently postponed the last 12 concerts of the first leg of their 2022 North American tour after two members of the group — Edgar Winter and Steve Lukather — tested positive for COVID-19. Now all of those shows have been rescheduled.

The new dates run from a September 5 concert in Lenox, Massachusetts, through a September 22 performance in Providence, Rhode Island. The rescheduled shows take place immediately before the previously announced second leg of the All Starr Band’s 2022 North American trek, which is mapped out from a September 23 concert in Bridgeport, Connecticut, through an October 19-20 stand in Mexico City.

“We were having so much fun playing again and it was disappointing to have to stop,” says Ringo. “But we were able to reschedule these shows and add them to our Fall tour — and so as the song goes — I’ll see you in September! Peace and love.”

Here’s the full list of rescheduled All Starr Band dates:

9/5 — Lenox, MA, Tanglewood (original date: 6/17)
9/6 — Baltimore, MD, Modell Lyric (original date: 6/14)
9/7 — Baltimore, MD, Modell Lyric (original date: 6/15)
9/9 — Easton, PA, State Theater (original date: 6/11)
9/10 — Pittsburgh, PA, PPG Arena (original date: 6/18)
9/11 — Philadelphia, PA, Metropolitan Theater (original date: 6/19)
9/15 — St. Augustine, FL, The AMP (original date: 6/24)
9/16 — Clearwater, FL, Ruth Eckerd Hall (original date: 6/26)
9/17 — Hollywood, FL, Hard Rock (original date: 6/25)
9/19 — Atlanta, GA, Cobb Center (original date: 6/22)
9/20 — Richmond, VA, Virginia Credit Union Live (original date: 6/21)
9/22 — Providence, RI, PPAC (original date: 6/12)

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Mariah Carey will soon have her name added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Ahead of the ceremony, the hitmaker sweetly thanked fans for the honor.

Taking to her Instagram story, Mariah wrote, “I’ve always considered myself a songwriter first. It’s my favorite part of creating music, and what I feel is the greatest of all.”

While thanking fans for “all your love and support,” she decided to take a stroll down memory lane and introduced, “Here is a fan-favorite selection from each of my studio albums to celebrate my induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame!”

From her eponymous debut studio album, Mariah selected the song “Vanishing.” Other highlighted tracks include “Make It Happen” from the Emotions album and “Hero” from Music Box.

The honor is a long-time coming for the “Fantasy” singer, who waited nearly three years to be inducted. She, along with Eurythmics‘ Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, The Neptunes‘ Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, members of The Isley Brothers and veteran rocker Steve Miller, were announced as the new class of honorees in December 2019.

“I can’t believe it,” Mariah said at the time on Instagram. “The SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME!!!! This is truly one of the greatest honors of my career. I’m so proud and humbled to be in the company of such legendary songwriters — both previously inducted as well as the incredible class of 2020!”

The Induction and Awards Gala was originally scheduled for June 11, 2020, but it was moved to June 10, 2021, because of the pandemic — before it was bumped again to this Thursday, June 16.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Fifty years ago today, on June 16, 1972, David Bowie released his classic fifth studio album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, one of the defining recordings of the glam-rock era.

The record was a loose concept album focusing Ziggy Stardust, a character Bowie created as an alter ego that was an androgynous bisexual alien rock star, and his mythical backing group, The Spiders from Mars.

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars peaked at #5 on the U.K. albums chart in 1972, while in the U.S. it initially only reached #75 on the Billboard 200. After Bowie’s death in 2016, the album enjoyed its highest chart position in the U.S. — #21.

Only one single was released from the Ziggy Stardust album, “Starman,” which reached #10 on the U.K. singles chart, although it only peaked at #65 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100. The album did feature several other classic Bowie songs, including such enduring tunes as “Moonage Daydream,” “Ziggy Stardust” and “Suffragette City.”

Bowie and his real band — guitarist Mick Ronson, bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Mick “Woody” Woodmansey — took on the personas of Ziggy and The Spiders from Mars in concert, and toured together for about a year and a half. Then, at the end of a July 3, 1973, show at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, David dramatically declared onstage that the group had just played its last gig.

In 2020, Ziggy Stardust was ranked #40 on Rolling Stone‘s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list.

In honor of Ziggy Stardust‘s 50th anniversary, a new mix of Bowie’s historic 1972 performance of “Starman” on the U.K.’s Top of the Pops TV show was released as a special streaming single today.

Here’s the full Ziggy Stardust track list:

Side One
“Five Years”
“Soul Love”
“Moonage Daydream”
“Starman”
“It Ain’t Easy”

Side Two
“Lady Stardust”
“Star”
“Hang On to Yourself”
“Ziggy Stardust”
“Suffragette City”
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Country-rock pioneer Richie Furay, a founding member of both Buffalo Springfield and Poco, has released his new cover of Marc Cohn‘s 1991 hit “Walking in Memphis” as an advance track from his upcoming covers album, In the Country.

The song is available now via digital formats, and Furay has also debuted a music video for the tune on his official YouTube channel.

As previously reported, In the Country is due out on July 8 and is made up mainly of Furay’s interpretations of various well-known country songs.

Among the tunes featured on the 12-track collection are renditions of such country chart-toppers as Keith Urban‘s “Somebody Like You,” Garth Brooks‘ “The River,” Alabama‘s “I’m in a Hurry and I Don’t Know Why” and Lee Ann Womack‘s “I Hope You Dance,” as well as notable crossover hits like “Walking in Memphis” and John Denver‘s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

The album includes guest contributions from Vince Gill, John Berry, ex-Chicago singer/bassist Jason Scheff, and longtime Eagles bassist and former Poco member Timothy B. Schmit.

The digital version of In the Country features two bonus tracks — new renditions of the 1969 Furay-penned Poco tune “Pickin’ Up the Pieces” and George Strait‘s 1992 chart-topper “I Cross My Heart.” You can preorder the album now.

Furay is in Nashville this week, and his schedule includes a concert Thursday at the City Winery; his first performance at the historic Grand Ole Opry on Friday; and a special in-store appearance Saturday at East Nashville’s Vinyl Tap record shop, where he will be signing vinyl copies of In the Country in conjunction with Record Store Day.

Visit RichieFuray.com to check out his full concert schedule.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The new Everly Brothers compilation Hey Doll Baby gets its release this Friday, June 17. To celebrate that album’s arrival, a star-studded streaming concert event will premiere this Sunday, Father’s Day, at 4 p.m. ET on the famed duo’s official YouTube channel.

The event, dubbed “Hey Doll Baby Festival: Celebrating the Lives & Music of The Everly Brothers,” will feature new and archival performances by Paul Simon with wife Edie Brickell, Graham Nash with Stephen Stills‘ son Chris, The Grateful Dead‘s Bob Weir with The Black Crowes‘ Chris Robinson, Carly Simon with son Ben Taylor, Eurythmics‘ Dave Stewart with Evanescence‘s Amy Lee, founding Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers members Mike Campbell and Stan Lynch, The Bangles‘ Susanna Hoffs with Semisonic‘s Dan Wilson, Chris Isaak, Jakob Dylan and more.

Also making appearances during the livestream will be the late Phil Everly‘s son Jason and the late Tom Petty‘s daughter Adria Petty, who curated the Hey Doll Baby album.

The album is a 17-track collection that features newly remastered versions of classic songs mixed with some lesser-known tunes by the sibling duo of Phil and Don Everly. The compilation was assembled by Adria Petty, who worked closely with the families of both late Everly brothers. Jason Everly contributed track-by-track commentary to the liner notes, while Don also took part in the project prior to his death in August 2021.

You can preorder Hey Doll Baby now.

Meanwhile, Gibson has just released a new limited-edition signature Everly Brothers acoustic guitar based on the matching SJ-200 models that Phil and Don recorded most of their memorable hits with, including “Bye Bye Love,” “Wake Up Little Susie” and “All I Have to Do Is Dream.”

Priced at $7,999, the guitar is available now at Gibson.com and EverlyBrothers.com.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

After announcing the performers for the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in London on September 3, Foo Fighters have now revealed the initial lineup for the Los Angeles tribute show, which is scheduled for September 27.

The bill of the Foo-headlined LA event includes many artists who are also booked for the London performance, among them Queen‘s Brian May and Roger Taylor, Rush‘s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, The Police‘s Stewart Copeland, Wolfgang Van Halen, Queens of the Stone Age‘s Josh Homme, Jane’s Addiction‘s Chris Chaney, producer Mark Ronson and drummer/producer Omar Hakim.

Additionally, the lineup features a number of acts exclusive to the LA date, including Joan Jett, KISS‘ Gene Simmons, Alanis Morissette, Mötley Crüe‘s Nikki Sixx, Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith, Miley Cyrus, The Struts‘ Luke Spiller, Rage Against the Machine‘s Brad Wilk and Weezer‘s Pat Wilson.

Artists including Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde and ex-Oasis singer Liam Gallagher are exclusive to the London lineup. Comedian Dave Chappelle will also be making a “special appearance” at the London show.

The guests will be “playing the songs that Taylor loved and created, with and alongside his [Foo Fighters] brothers Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear and Rami Jaffee,” a press release says.

As previously reported, the concerts will take place September 3 at Wembley Stadium and September 27 at The Kia Forum. Tickets to both shows go on sale this Friday, June 17, at 9 a.m. local time. Proceeds will benefit charities in the U.K. and U.S. chosen by the Hawkins family. For more ticket information, join the Foo Fighters’ mailing list.

Hawkins died on March 25 at age 50.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Good news from Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, who says he’s recovering well after testing positive for COVID-19, which forced the band to postpone two shows on its current SIXTY tour of Europe.

“Thank you all so much for your well wishes and messages the last few days,” the 78-year-old rock legend writes in a message posted on his social media pages. “I’m feeling much better and can’t wait to get back on stage next week!”

Jagger also reveals that the first of the postponed shows, a June 13 concert in Amsterdam, “has been rescheduled for July 7,” adding that a new date for the postponed June 17 gig in Bern, Switzerland will be announced “ASAP.” The Rolling Stones also posted details about the new Amsterdam date on their social media sites.

The next scheduled concert on The Stones’ 60th anniversary tour is a June 21 show in Milan, Italy.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.