Classic Hits

Bonnie Tyler and Stella McCartney are among the people who have been acknowledged in the 2022 edition of Queen Elizabeth II‘s annual Birthday Honours list, which recognizes “outstanding achievements” and service of people across the U.K.

Tyler, who is from Wales and whose birth name is Gaynor Hopkins, is also is known by her married name, Gaynor Sullivan. She was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire honor, or an MBE, for her services to music.

“I am truly honoured to be awarded an MBE and especially so in Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year, which makes this even more special,” Bonnie wrote in a message posted on her official website. “This honour just goes to show that anyone from any background can become a success, and be recognised by our wonderful country, if they put their minds and efforts into what they do.”

She added, “I hope that my honour may in some small way motivate others to give their best … I’m just a girl from a small town in Wales who just loves to sing, so to be recognised for that in this way is very significant to me and my family and friends.”

The “Total Eclipse of the Heart” singer will help celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, marking her 70-year reign, at a special concert this Saturday at Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales.

Paul McCartney‘s daughter Stella, a successful fashion designer who also is known for promoting vegetarianism, was honored with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire award, or CBE. The CBE is a higher honor than an MBE, ranked just below a knighthood. Stella’s famous dad was knighted in 1997.

Check out the queen’s full 2022 Birthday Honours list online.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Rolling Stones kicked off their SIXTY tour in fine form last night with a two-hour show in front of a sold-out crowd of 53,000 at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.

The Stones’ 19-song set included their first live performance of the 1966 gem “Out of Time.” The show also featured renditions of such classic as “Street Fighting Man,” “19th Nervous Breakdown,” “Tumblin’ Dice,” “Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Miss You,” “Start Me Up,” “Paint It Black,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

The British rock legends also played their most recent single, 2020’s “Living in a Ghost Town,” as well as their 1978 hit “Beast of Burden,” the latter of which was chosen by an online fan vote.

During the concert, the band celebrated guitarist Ronnie Wood‘s 75th birthday, singing “Happy Birthday” to Wood with help from the audience.

According to NME, the concert began with a video tribute to late Stones drummer Charlie Watts, who died last August at age 80. Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine was also addressed, with footage of the war-torn country shown during the group’s performance of “Gimme Shelter.”

Meanwhile, as he’s done for many years, Wood is creating illustrated set lists for each concert The Stones play on tour, and limited-edition prints of the painted lists are available at his online art store. The set list for the Madrid show is available now, priced at $100.

The next concert on The Stones’ 60th anniversary European trek is scheduled for this Sunday, June 5, in Munich, Germany.

Here’s the full set list of the Madrid show:

“Street Fighting Man”
“19th Nervous Breakdown”
“Sad Sad Sad”
“Tumblin’ Dice”
“Out of Time”
“Beast of Burden” (vote)
“Can’t Always Get What You Want”
“Living in a Ghost Town”
“Honky Tonk Women”
“Happy”
“Slipping Away”
“Miss You”
“Midnight Rambler”
“Start Me Up”
“Paint It Black”
“Sympathy for the Devil”
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
“Gimme Shelter”
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

After photos showing Elton John in a wheelchair surfaced Wednesday, the legendary singer addressed them head-on in a lengthy Instagram post to assure fans he is in-tip top shape.

“I want to thank all my fans for reaching out to ask about my health, after the tabloids ran a silly story about [me] ‘looking frail’ in a wheelchair,” he started the post, which included several recent photos of him on his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road tour. 

“The true story is that I’m in top health, loving my shows and playing and singing at my very best,” he continued. “I give 100% every night and never want to disappoint, especially after everyone has waited so long to get back to seeing shows. Your response to every show has been phenomenal and I’m loving every minute of it.”

Sir Elton then addressed the paparazzi photos directly, explaining, “After another rousing 2.5 hour show, we arrived at Leipzig airport just before curfew, to find part of the airport had closed. It was an extremely long walk to get to the plane, so my team kindly laid on a wheelchair so I could rest my hip after doing the show. That’s all folks.”

The “Cold Heart” singer announced in September he had to postpone some of his 2021 Europe and U.K. tour stops to undergo hip surgery after a fall in the summer that caused him “considerable pain and discomfort.”  

Now that he’s on the road to recovery, Elton signed off his post on a positive note that assured fans, “Last night was another blockbuster show in Bern and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at this weekend’s sold-out show in Milan.” He also thanked his followers for “all your kind words of support!”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Wolfgang Van Halen is speaking out against Reelz cable network and Autopsy: The Last Hours of… for the show’s upcoming episode about Wolf’s father, the late Van Halen icon Eddie Van Halen.

The controversial show, which has previously profiled other late rockers, including Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie, purports to uncover “the truth behind the controversial deaths of global icons and people whose untimely deaths were surrounded by scandal and intense media attention.”

A description for the Van Halen episode, which is set to premiere this Sunday, June 5, reads, “Eddie died at the age of 65 from cancer. But if caught early, Eddie’s disease had reasonable survival rates. So what happened?”

It continues, “World renowned forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Hunter needs to analyze every detail of Eddie Van Halen’s life in order to piece together what else may have been going on in his body, ultimately leading to his untimely death.”

In response to an article announcing the episode, Wolf tweeted, “F*** @ReelzChannel, f*** everyone that works on this show, and f*** you if you watch it.”

“F***ing disgusting trying to glamorize someone’s death from cancer,” he added. “Pathetic and heartless.”

Valerie Bertinelli, Wolf’s mother and Eddie’s ex-wife, had a similar response, replying to her son’s tweet with “Good Christ this is disgusting.”

Reelz has not yet publicly responded to Wolf’s comments.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Cyndi Lauper‘s videos in the ’80s were tons of fun, but they were also a family affair: Her mom, Catrine Lauper, co-starred in several of them.  Now, Cyndi has taken to social media to announce some sad news: Her mom has passed away.

On Instagram and Twitter, Cyndi wrote, “My beautiful Mom has passed. She rocked and wrestled with us and was in a lot of my videos. It was an honor to work with her. I feel so lucky that I got to play with my mom throughout my life, both as a girl and as a woman.”

“She may have left this world, but not without leaving her mark,” Cyndi added. “Thank you, Mom. I love you.”

Cyndi illustrated her post with a photo of herself and her mom co-starring in her “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” video, and a post of her mom and some famous WWF wrestlers on the set of the video for 1985’s “Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough.”

In addition to “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” and “Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough,” Catrine also appeared in Cyndi’s video for “Time After Time.”

No cause of death was given but in 2016, Cyndi revealed her mom had dementia.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Last November, Graham Nash revealed that he was working on a new album with his childhood friend and fellow Hollies co-founder Allan Clarke, and now the folk-rock legend has shared more details about the project.

Nash tells ABC Audio that the record actually is a new Clarke solo album that’s due out in late July, and that he is singing on “maybe seven or eight tracks.”

Graham says he’s also written one tune for the album.

“[It’s] a song I had written very quickly. It’s a very simple song…about The Hollies’ love for Buddy Holly, and it’s called ‘Buddy’s Back,'” he explains. “And I think it’s a lovely recording. And…it might be his first single off the record.”

Nash, who like Clarke turned 80 earlier this year, says the remainder of the album is made up of new songs written by Allan.

“[H]e’s been writing incredibly well,” Graham raves. “And in a way, more importantly, he has been singing the s*** out of [the songs].”

Nash says he’s particularly happy that Clarke has been singing well, because he’d lost his voice about two decades ago, “which is why he left The Hollies.”

Graham adds, “I probably wouldn’t have done [the album] with such emotion and pleasure if he wasn’t singing quite right…But he’s singing his a** off.”

Nash also says he’ll be glad to perform some shows with Clarke to help promote the project.

“I told him I will do any press that he wants,” Graham notes. “Any way to point the fingers back to Allan Clarke is what I’ll do.”

Meanwhile, Nash continues to promote his recently released album Graham Nash: Live — Songs for Beginners/Wild Tales, and he’ll launch a U.S. solo tour on July 13 in Red Bank, New Jersey.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The company that controls Elvis Presley‘s image has Elvis impersonators and wedding chapel owners in Las Vegas all shook up after recently sending a cease-and-desist letter to a number of businesses warning them to stop the unauthorized use of the late King of Rock and Roll’s name and likeness.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Authentic Brands Group, which oversees the licensing of Elvis-related merchandise, issued the letter to several Sin City chapels on May 19, warning that if they didn’t comply to the specified terms within a week, the company might move forward with legal action. The newspaper reports that as of Monday, no chapels reported having received further communication from ABG.

Among ABG’s protected trademarks are “Elvis,” “Elvis Presley” and “The King of Rock and Roll.”

“This couldn’t hit at a worse time. It’s not a good thing,” Clark County Clerk Lynn Goya, who has managed Vegas’ wedding marketing campaign, said on Monday. “It might destroy a portion of our wedding industry. A number of people might lose their livelihood.”

Of course, Elvis-themed weddings are big business in Las Vegas, with thousands of ceremonies performed annually.

Authentic Brands Group shared a statement with ABC regarding the situation.

“As the guardians of the Elvis Presley estate, it is our responsibility to safeguard his legacy,” the message begins. “This includes ensuring that all products, services and advertisements utilizing Elvis’ name, image or likeness are officially licensed by Elvis Presley Enterprises.”

The statement adds, “There is no intention to shut down chapels that offer Elvis packages in Las Vegas. We are seeking to partner with each of these small businesses to ensure that their use of Elvis’ name, image and likeness are officially licensed and authorized by the estate, so they can continue their operations.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

With Journey set to release its latest studio album, Freedom, in a little over a month, the band has debuted an official music video for one of the tracks, “You Got the Best of Me,” a melodic rock tune that was made available as an advance single in April.

The clip, which you can watch now on Journey’s YouTube channel, features color and black-and-white performance footage of the band’s current touring lineup — founding guitarist Neal Schon, longtime keyboardist Jonathan Cain, lead singer Arnel Pineda, keyboardist/backing vocalist Jason Derlatka, drummer/singer Deen Castronovo and bassist Todd Jensen.

“You Got the Best of Me” showcases Schon’s fluid guitar riffs and Pineda’s soaring vocals.

As previously reported, Freedom will be released on July 8 and can be preordered now.

Two other advance tracks have also been released from Freedom, “The Way We Used to Be” and “Let It Rain,” which debuted in June 2021 and last month, respectively.

Shortly after Freedom arrives, Journey will play a series of four special symphonic concerts in Las Vegas — on July 15, 16, 22 and 23. The band has several other concerts lined up around the U.S. this summer. Visit JourneyMusic.com to check out their full schedule.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

This spring, The Monkees‘ Micky Dolenz and The Rascals‘ Felix Cavaliere have teamed up for several joint U.S. concerts dubbed “Legends Live!,” and the famous singers have two more co-headlining shows scheduled this week — on Friday in New York City and Saturday in Lynn, Massachusetts.

Dolenz tells ABC Audio that the shows with Cavaliere have been a great experience for him, as well as being a treat for music fans.

“Felix and I go back a while. He’s an incredible guy. His band is great. Everybody is so much fun,” Micky notes. “[H]e has so many huge hits. I am blessed to have had a number of big hits. And so it’s like two headliners. You’re kind of getting two shows for the price of one, if you will.”

Dolenz says he’s “a huge fan” of The Rascals, and loves all of the group’s big hits, including “Groovin’,” “Good Lovin'” and “Beautiful Morning.”

“You know, I sit in the wings…and watch part of his set every night, ’cause there’s so many great songs,” Micky reveals.

As for his own set, Dolenz tells ABC Audio he always performs all of The Monkees’ biggest hits.

“I know that the vast majority of fans and people that maybe don’t come to every single show, they want to hear those hits,” Micky notes.

This year marks the first time Dolenz has hit the road as the only surviving member of The Monkees, as Michael Nesmith sadly passed away last December just a few weeks after he and Micky finished a farewell tour together.

Asked how he feels about being the last Monkee, Dolenz says, “It’s strange…I don’t think I’ve probably completely processed it yet, ’cause it is quite recent.”

Check out Micky’s full upcoming schedule at MickyDolenz.com.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Rolling Stones launch their SIXTY tour June 1 at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.

The first leg of the trek, which celebrates the British rock legends’ 60th anniversary, will feature 14 concerts in 13 European cities, including a pair of concerts in London’s Hyde Park on June 25 and July 3. The tour winds down on July 31 in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Stones will also visit France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria and the Netherlands, and will play their first show in Liverpool, England, in over 50 years.

According to a press release that announced the outing, the SIXTY tour will feature “a spectacular new … production, including a massive stage, cutting edge lighting and state of the art video design.”

Steve Jordan, who stepped in for longtime Stones drummer Charlie Watts on the band’s 2021 No Filter tour of the U.S. after Watts’ death last August, will once again will be behind the kit for this trek.

The launch of the SIXTY tour also coincides with Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood‘s 75th birthday. The band posted a message on its social media sites that reads, “Happy birthday Ronnie Wood!! We’ll see you on stage tonight in Madrid to celebrate!”

The opening acts for tonight’s show are Sidonie and Vargas Blues Band. The latter act features John Byron Jagger, who is Stones frontman Mick Jagger‘s nephew.

As they have done for the last several years, The Stones are offering fans the chance to choose one song that they play prior to each show on their tour via an online vote.

Yesterday, Mick posted a series of photos on his Facebook page capturing him visiting various sites around Madrid.

Visit RollingStones.com to check out the band’s full tour schedule.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.