Classic Hits

A variety of noteworthy musicians from the rock and pop world, including Ringo Starr, Billy Joel and KISS‘ Paul Stanley, have paid homage to Procol Harum lead singer and pianist Gary Brooker, who died Saturday at age 76 after a battle with cancer.

Brooker, who was most famous for singing and co-writing the classic Procol Harum song “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” led the group for its entire 50-plus-year history, and he also was a member of Ringo’s All Starr Band from 1997 to 1999. The former Beatles drummer posted a tribute note on his Twitter page that reads, “God bless Gary Brooker peace and love to the family,” along with a photo of him and Gary together.

Joel also took to Twitter, where he wrote, “Sorry to hear about the passing of Gary Brooker. Rest in Peace.”

Stanley meanwhile, saluted Brooker with a tweet that reads, “RIP Gary Brooker. You could identify that voice as soon as you heard him sing. Procol Harum…Who can forget ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’? The man sang with a captivating, grand authority and soul.”

Here are more tributes to Brooker from various other well-known music artists:

Queen‘s Brian May: “SAD NEWS: Procol Harem singer Gary Brooker dies at 76 – RIP.”

Faces and ex-Who drummer Kenney Jones: Very sad to hear the news that Gary Brooker has passed away. My thoughts are with Gary’s wife Franky at this sad time. He was a wonderful man who will be sorely missed. Rest in peace.”

Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens: “Safe travels to Gary Brooker of Procol Harum. A truly incredible talent that redefined what rock and roll could be. Big influence on me.”

Former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden: “So sorry to hear of the passing of Gary Brooker. One of the highlights of my career is playing ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ with him. I was very proud to know him. My condolences to his family and fans.”

E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt: “RIP Gary Brooker. I’m too p***ed off to speak right now.”

Bonnie Tyler: “So sad to hear about Gary Brooker. He was a lovely guy and made incredible music that will live on forever.”

The Alan Parsons Project: “RIP Gary Brooker, who sang lead vocal on the APP track ‘Limelight.'”

Beatles reissue producer (and son of George Martin) Giles Martin: “Rest in peace #GaryBrooker — incredible singer, writer and musician — more than that he was a lovely, lovely man. He and his wife…looked after me and my sis when my parents were away. They gave so much love and warmth to us as kids, I wish I’d thanked him before he passed.”

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Veteran U.K. synthpop star Howard Jones is preparing a new studio album titled Dialogue, the third in a trilogy of electronic releases following the 2015 multimedia project Engage and the 2019 album Transform.

More information will be unveiled about Dialogue soon. Jones will support the album with a tour later this year running from a June 17 show in Tulalip, Washington, through a July 27 concert in Dallas.  He’ll be accompanied by a four-piece band that includes bassist and Chapman stick player Nick Beggs, formerly of Kajagoogoo.

Howard will be joined on the trek by special guest Midge Ure, former frontman of Ultravox and co-writer of the classic 1980s Live Aid charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas.”

“I am beyond excited to be touring the U.S. this summer with my great friend Midge Ure,” Jones says in a statement. “As we take safe steps to put the pandemic behind us, the tour will be a celebration of being together, enjoying the power of live music again. Expect plenty of hit songs as well as cuts from my new album Dialogue.”

Ure adds, “What a joy to be touring North America with my friend Howard Jones again. With the emphasis on technology, quality and performance I am looking forward to dusting off the synthesizers, cranking up the guitar and playing with the brilliant musicians who will be sharing the stage with me.”

Meanwhile, Jones is wrapping up a U.S. winter trek tonight in Richmond, Virginia, with his acoustic trio, which also features Beggs. Visit HowardJones.com for his full tour schedule.

Howard is best known for his string of synth-driven 1980s hits, which included “New Song,” “What Is Love?,” “Things Can Only Get Better,” “Life in One Day,” “No One Is to Blame” and “Everlasting Love.”

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Aldo Nova has released a new single called “Burn Like the Sun” that will appear on his recently announced forthcoming EP, The Life and Times of Eddie Gage, which is due out April 1.

The veteran Canadian rocker also has debuted a performance video for the song, which you can check out at his official YouTube channel.

As previously reported, the 10-track EP will serve as the first chapter of a planned 25-song rock opera, also titled The Life and Times of Eddie Gage, which tells the fictional story of a talented young rocker who is tempted and exploited by various characters as he tries to break into the music business. He initially succumbs to drugs, alcohol and other excesses before finding redemption when he delves into spirituality.

“The song describes Eddie’s life’s ups and downs and rebirth,” Nova explains of the new tune. “In the opera, ‘Burn Like the Sun’ is the last song that Eddie sings and it sums up his life perfectly with everything coming full circle because it was the only song he had ever written that wasn’t owned by any publishing company or record company, so it’s fitting that the beginning becomes the same song that makes him reborn.”

“Burn Like the Sun” is the second advance track released from The Life and Times of Eddie Gage, following “Free Your Mind.”

After the EP arrives, Nova will release a three-disc set titled Aldo Nova 2.0 Reloaded on April 19 that features updated versions of nine tunes from Nova’s back catalog on the first disc, and those same tracks mixed without vocals and without guitar, respectively, on the second and third discs.

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We now have an on-sale date for tickets for the new musical based on Neil Diamond’s life.

Tickets for The Neil Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise will go on sale to the general public March 4 at 10 a.m. ET; a presale is available starting March 1 at 10 a.m. ET.  To sign up to buy those presale tickets, visit ABeautifulNoisetheMusical.com.

As previously reported, A Beautiful Noise, featuring hits from Diamond’s legendary song catalog, will have its pre-Broadway premiere at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre. The six-week limited engagement starts June 21 and runs through July 31.

In his 50-plus years of performing, Diamond has played Boston and the surrounding area nearly 40 times; his signature song “Sweet Caroline” is famously played during the eighth inning of all Red Sox games at Fenway Park.

There’s no word on when A Beautiful Noise –– titled after Diamond’s 1976 album of the same name, which was produced by The Band‘s Robbie Robertson — will arrive on Broadway.

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After it was postponed in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Black Crowes hit the road last year on a major tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker.  The veteran rockers have now announced a new 2022 North American leg of the trek.

The outing, dubbed The Black Crowes Present: Shake Your Money Maker, features more than 30 dates. It kicks off June 9 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and runs though an August 27 concert in Miami, Oklahoma.

Tickets for most dates go on sale to the general public this Friday, February 25, at 10 a.m. local time, while a pre-sale offer from the band begins Wednesday, February 23, at 10 a.m. local time. For more details, visit TheBlackCrowes.com.

For each ticket purchased via Ticketmaster in North America, the buyer will receive an exclusive free collectible NFT of the tour poster. This marks the first time that Ticketmaster has teamed up with an artists to offer these unique digital tokens.

The Shake Your Money Maker trek features The Black Crowes playing their 1990 debut album in its entirety, as well as hits and select other songs from their catalog. The group’s current lineup features co-founding siblings Chris and Rich Robinson on lead vocals and lead guitar, respectively, plus longtime bassist Sven Pippien and three other newer members.

The Black Crowes also have some previously announced festival appearances on their 2022 itinerary, including May 1 at the Stagecoach Festival in Indio California; May 6 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival; May 28 at the BottleRock Napa fest in Napa, California; and June 3 at The Peach Music Festival in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

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The Rolling Stones haven’t announced any official plans for 2022, but in a new post on his social media pages, Mick Jagger hinted that the band might be getting back to work soon, we assume either touring or recording new music.

Jagger posted a series of photos of him vacationing in Jamaica, along with a note that reads, “A little downtime before things get busy!” The pics show Mick holding an acoustic guitar with the ocean behind him, looking at some fresh produce at an outdoor market, standing in front of a wall painting, and playfully knocking on the door of the Roof Night Club in Port Antonio, Jamaica.

The Rolling Stones wrapped up a U.S. leg of their No Filter Tour in November of last year, and the band is widely expected to continue touring this year at some point. The Stones also have been working on songs for a new studio album over the last couple of years, although no official release details for the project have been announced.

In other Stones news, guitarist Keith Richards has posted a video of him “unboxing” the upcoming deluxe 30th anniversary reissue of his 1992 sophomore solo album, Main Offender, on his social media pages.

The minute-long clip shows Richards flipping through the pages of the booklet included in the box set, which he calls “incredible.”

“What am I seeing? I’m seeing some of the greatest friends I’ve ever had, you know,” Keith comments as he checks out photos of his collaborators on the album. “Waddy Wachtel, Steve Jordan, Ivan Neville, Charley Drayton, Sarah Dash, Babi Floyd…Bobby Keys…It don’t get no better than that.”

He adds, “I love to work with these guys. Always have. It’s all love.”

The Main Offender reissue is due out March 18.

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The Who will play a special acoustic show on March 25 at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall as part of the 2022 edition of the annual series of benefit concert for the Teenage Cancer Trust that singer Roger Daltrey helps organize.

The event will mark the band’s first concert since February 2020, and will take place a month before the recently announced The Who Hits Back! tour of North America kicks off.

The acoustic show will feature Daltrey and Who guitarist Pete Townshend accompanied by two members of The Who’s touring band — guitarist/backup singer Simon Townshend and backing vocalist Billy Nicholls — as well as by bassist Phil Spalding, percussionist Jodie Linscott, keyboardist Geraint Watkins, violinist Charlie Hart and accordion player Andy Cutting.

The concert will feature a mix of Who classics, rarities and fan favorites. The show’s opening act will be The Wild Things, a British rock group whose upcoming album is being produced by Pete Townshend.

The 2022 Teenage Cancer Trust Concerts will run from March 21 through March 27. This year’s other headlining acts include Yungblud on March 23, Madness on March 24, Liam Gallagher on March 26 and Ed Sheeran on March 27. The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My wonderful team and I have pulled out all the stops to make this 20th series of shows for Teenage Cancer Trust the best ever,” Daltrey says. “The Who will be back on stage this year at the Hall alongside some wonderful talent. After the last two unbelievably difficult years, young people with cancer deserve everything we can do for them.”

Tickets for the shows go on sale to the general public on Friday, February 25, at 9 a.m. local time at RoyalAlbertHall.com.

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Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones is one of more than 20 musicians from seven different countries featured in a video performing a new version of the blues song “When the Levee Breaks.” It premiered this weekend at PlayingforChange.com and on the Playing for Change YouTube channel.

“When the Levee Breaks,” a song written about about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, was originally recorded by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie in 1929. Led Zeppelin’s reworked version of the tune appears on the band’s 1971 album, Led Zeppelin IV.

The video, which features various musicians and singers performing their parts in different locations around the world, also includes Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins and ex-Allman Brothers Band guitarist Derek Trucks, as well as Trucks’ wife and current band mate Susan Tedeschi on vocals, Robbie Robertson‘s son Sebastian on guitar, singer/songwriter Ben Lee on harmonica, and many others.

The clip also includes footage such natural disasters as flooding and drought.

“It seems that little has changed since 1927, or even 2005 with [Hurricane] Katrina,” Jones says in a statement regarding “When the Levee Breaks.” “It’s still a really powerful track, both musically and lyrically.”

Those who view the video are encouraged to donate money to the Playing for Change Foundation to aid its efforts raise awareness about and support organizations focused on various environmental issues.

The new recording and video of “When the Levee Breaks” is the latest in a series of covers of famous songs by international musicians that have been put together by  Playing for Change organization, which connects people around the world through music.

The “When the Levee Breaks” video originally premiered in December 2021 as part of the Peace Through Music: A Global Event for the Environment virtual benefit event.

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Edgar Winter has released a second advance single from his upcoming album project, Brother Johnny: An All-Star Tribute to Johnny Winter: a rendition of his late older sibling’s 1968 song “Mean Town Blues.”

Edgar’s version of the driving blues-rock gem, which is available to stream now, also features acclaimed contemporary blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Gregg Bissonette of Ringo Starr‘s All Starr Band, and longtime John Mayer bassist Sean Hurley.

“Johnny’s most highly respected authenticity was as a blues man, particularly his style of slide guitar, and if there’s one song that best epitomizes and brings all those elements together to represent the many aspects of who Johnny was in the early days, it is ‘Mean Town Blues,'” Edgar writes in the liner notes for Brother Johnny. “Every time I hear it I think, ‘Now that’s Real Johnny Winter.’ It just captures the essence of everything he was.”

As previously reported, Brother Johnny, which Edgar organized as a tribute to his brother, blues-rock guitar great Johnny Winter, will be released on April 15. The album features contributions from an impressive list of guest musicians, including Starr, Joe Walsh, ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons, Michael McDonald and John McFee of The Doobie Brothers, ex-Allman Brothers Band members Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, Foo Fighters‘ Taylor Hawkins, Toto‘s Steve Lukather, and many others.

The 17-track collection, which was curated by Edgar and producer Ross Hogarth, was put together to present Johnny’s artistic evolution. In addition to featuring various covers and renditions of songs by Johnny, it also includes two new originals by Edgar.

The album’s lead single, which was released in January, is a cover of the Chuck Berry classic “Johnny B.Goode” that features Edgar and Walsh sharing lead vocals.

Johnny Winter died in 2014 at age 70.

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The Scorpions have released another advance track from their their forthcoming studio album, Rock Believer, which is due out next Friday, February 25.

The new tune, titled “Shining of Your Soul,” is available via digital formats now, and is one of the few love songs on Rock Believer. Scorpions frontman Klaus Meine, who wrote the lyrics for the track, says it’s about the intensely passionate attraction that one person can sometimes feel for another.

Meine notes that “Shining of Your Soul” is about that emotion you may experience “[w]hen someone enters the room and you sense an aura that makes everything else fade into the background. When the atmosphere changes inexplicably, and one is enveloped in a warm glow. The shining of a soul.”

Musically, the song features verses that offer up a taste of reggae, while the choruses burst forth with the German rockers’ trademark melodic metal sound.

“Shining of Your Soul” is the fourth advance track from Rock Believer that the Scorpions have released, following “Peace Maker,” the album’s title track and “Seventh Sun.”

You can pre-order Rock Believer now.

As previously reported, The Scorpions will kick off their 2022 tour in support of the Rock Believer album with a nine-date Las Vegas residency at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood, running from March 26 to April 16. Visit The-Scorpions.com for more info.

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