Classic Hits

Gov’t Mule, the group fronted by ex-Allman Brothers Band singer/guitarist Warren Haynes, recently released a new studio album titled Heavy Load Blues that’s the jam band’s first full project dedicated to the blues.

Haynes and company must have done something right, because the album currently is spending its third week at #1 on Billboard‘s Blues Albums chart.

Heavy Load Blues features a mix of covers of songs by blues legends like Howlin’ Wolf, Bobby Blue Bland, Elmore James and Junior Wells and original tunes Warren wrote that were inspired by some of his blues heroes.

Haynes tells ABC Audio that he’s been planning to make a blues album with Gov’t Mule for years, but kept putting it off because of his busy schedule, that is until the COVID-19 pandemic freed up some time for him.

“During the whole COVID lockdown thing, I wrote five or six blues songs…and I had also for several years been compiling a list of blues covers that eventually I would want to tackle,” Warren explains. “And I think the whole lockdown thing just forced that to the forefront…[I]t seemed like the right time to do this.”

Haynes says some of his goals for the record was to include songs by artists that Gov’t Mule hadn’t covered live before, to explore various blues subgenres, and to make the album sound like a vintage recording.

A deluxe version of Heavy Load Blues features several bonus tracks, including, interestingly, a heavy blues interpretation of the 1973 Elton John song “Have Mercy on the Criminal.”

Haynes notes, “[O]ur version is a little heavier and darker [than Elton’s], but it’s perfect that way. It’s a great song and a great story.”

Here’s the album’s full track list:

“Blues Before Sunrise”
“Hole in My Soul”
“Wake Up Dead”
“Love Is a Mean Old World”
“Snatch It Back and Hold It”/”Hold It Back”/”Snatch It Back and Hold It”
“Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City”
“(Brother Bill) Last Clean Shirt”
“Make It Rain”
“Heavy Load”
“Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home”
“If Heartaches Were Nickels”
“I Asked Her for Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)”
“Black Horizon”

Deluxe Version — Bonus Tracks:
“Hiding Place”
“You Know My Love”
“Street Corner Talking”
“Have Mercy on the Criminal”
“Long Distance Call”
“Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home” (Extended Version)
“Need Your Love So Bad” (Live)
“Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” (Live) — with Hook Herrera

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In a deal that dwarfs even that of his idol Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen has sold his masters and music publishing to Sony for a whopping $500 million, sources tell Billboard.  The publication says the deal may be the biggest payday yet for an individual musical body of work. 

Springsteen’s album catalog has sold more than 65 million copies in the U.S. alone. That catalog includes such bestsellers as 1984’s Born in the U.S.A., which has sold 15 million copies, and 1980’s The River, which has sold five million copies.

Billboard estimates Springsteen’s album catalog generated about $15 million in 2020 alone, with his publishing catalog generating about $7.5 million a year.

The publication notes that years ago, Springsteen was granted ownership of his earlier albums as an incentive to re-sign with Columbia, the label for which he’s recorded his entire career.

Last year, Dylan made headlines when Universal Music Publishing Group purchased his catalog for between $375 million and $400 million.

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Rush is releasing a collection of rare, never-before-seen photos from the Moving Pictures album cover shoot.

The images were taken by photographer Deborah Samuel, who also shot the covers for the Rush releases Permanent Waves, Exit…Stage Left and Signals. The pics are now being unearthed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Moving Pictures, and to raise money for the charity organization Grapes for Humanity and its efforts to provide sight-restoring surgeries and “eradicate preventable and curable blindness in low to middle income countries.”

“I clearly remember the day Deborah set up for this cover, and especially the interior series of the Moving Pictures photographs,” says guitarist Alex Lifeson.

“I was jumping around in the dark with a bright strobe flashing away, which was disorienting to say the least, but the results fit so well with the album concept, and I loved the final photos she produced,” Lifeson recalls. “I’m thrilled to revisit them and make the covers and these interior photos available in support of Grapes for Humanity.”

Singer/bassist Geddy Lee adds, “I’m very thankful to Deborah for generously making these rare photographs available to our fans, the proceeds of which will help bring sight to the sightless.”

For more info, visit MovingPictures40.com.

Moving Pictures, Rush’s best-selling album, hit the big 4-0 this past February. The 1981 record produced the singles “Tom Sawyer” and “Limelight,” as well as the beloved instrumental “YYZ.” It’s been certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 5 million in the U.S.

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Singer/songwriter Chris Jagger, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger‘s younger brother, has been hosting a podcast series for the Austin, Texas-based Hot Pie Media podcast network, and he’s revealed that his famous sibling will be joining him on multiple upcoming episodes of the show.

The Jagger brothers are still working out the details of their podcast collaboration, which, according to a press release, “[is] guaranteed to be one-of-kind, uniquely entertaining and the beginning of bigger things to come.”

Hot Pie Media tells ABC Audio that the episodes will feature “scripted portions, as well as allotted time for chatting,” adding, “In addition to [Chris and Mick] creating music beds for some of the content within the episodes, we will encourage them to also perform.”

Chris’ latest studio album, Mixing Up the Medicine, which was released in September, features a duet with Mick on a tune titled “Anyone Seen My Heart?“

“I look forward to my brother Mick being a part of my Hot Pie Media podcast series,” Chris says in a statement. “Mick joined me for a duet on my new album…so working together again on my podcast makes our collaboration another family affair!”

Hot Pie Media CEO Robert Walker adds, “Having the Jagger brothers working together on our network is a major milestone for our company. It’s also a very rare opportunity for the public to enjoy these two talented artists performing as a duo.”

Chris, who’s a partner in Hot Pie Media, has co-hosted and/or contributed to a number of podcasts and specials for the network. One of these saw him team up with Mick’s former romantic partner, supermodel Jerry Hall, for a program called Jerry’s Hall of Fame that featured Hall playing and discussing some of her favorite recordings.

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Josh Groban has recorded at least one of Billy Joel‘s songs, but now, he’ll actually be playing the part of The Piano Man himself in a new original scripted series from Audible.

The series is called The Miranda Obsession, and it’s based on a true story that was documented in a 1999 Vanity Fair article of the same name. The audio-only series stars The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Rachel Brosnahan as Miranda Grosvenor, the alias of a real-life Louisiana woman who charmed many famous men in the ’70s and ’80s, simply by talking to them on the telephone.

Born Whitney Walton, “Miranda” would call stars late at night, and was reportedly so alluring that the men she called would fall in love with her, just by hearing her voice. Among the people with whom Walton had phone relationships were Billy, Eric Clapton, Warren Beatty, Bob Dylan, Richard Gere, Peter Gabriel, Robert De Niro, Ted Kennedy, Johnny Carson and many more. 

Billy was reportedly so entranced by Miranda that he considered writing a musical about her.  Others bought her expensive gifts, and, according to Vanity Fair, two of her telephone pals — music producers Quincy Jones and Richard Perry — proposed to her.  Walton died in 2016 at age 74.

In a statement, Brosnahan says, “I was completely captivated by the story of Miranda and her intimate relationships with some of Hollywood’s most powerful male players. Not only did she hold her own, but she curated a fantasy on the other end of the telephone and drew men into her design with words alone.”

In addition to Brosnahan and Josh, The Miranda Obsession series will feature Milo Ventimiglia as Richard Perry, and will premiere on Audible April 28, 2022.

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A Whitney Houston NFT was auctioned this week for $999,999, setting a record for the highest-selling NFT on the Tezos blockchain.

From The Whitney Houston Collection, the NFT is an early, never-before heard, full length song demo that the six-time Grammy winner recorded at just 17 years old, along with a digital video created by 17-year-old artist Diana Sinclair.

“This initial NFT drop is one of many Whitney Houston collections as we continue to tell her story, going behind the scenes and using never-before-seen content from the estate’s archives to celebrate her career, music, and talent in new and creative ways,” Rob Dippold, partner & president of Digital Strategy for Primary Wave Music, said in a statement.

Whitney E. Houston Estate President and CEO Pat Houston loved having Sinclair involved in the project.

“Being able to work with someone as young as Diana, she’s 17 years old. Whitney was 17 years old when she recorded the song. Both come from Newark, both have the same middle name. Whitney had the desire to always help others help themselves, especially young people,” Pat Houston said

“She established the Whitney E. Houston Foundation in 1989 and she had events each year centered around young people, so it was a no brainer when we were introduced to Diana,” Pat continued. “We want to continue Whitney’s legacy, and this is a new art form for her music to be displayed. What better way than to do it with Diana and through the NFT.”

A portion of the proceeds of the auction will go directly to the Whitney E. Houston Foundation, a non-profit that continues the work of the late star of The Bodyguard to empower, support, and inspire young people.

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It can be a fan’s worst nightmare to come across their idol in public and fail to recognize him or her — but in the COVID-19 era where people are masking up, it is a likely reality.  Case in point, one couple didn’t recognize the one and only Cher when she offered to take their photo.

The “Believe” singer posted the photo she took of them on Twitter on Tuesday and joked about the situation. Cher explained that she was “coming out of [a] movie” when she saw a “beautiful couple” posing for photos with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.

“I said…can I take your Pic…Had my mask on so they didn’t Know Who I was,” the legend noted, and laughed about coming across as “just a crazy woman.”

Of course, it turns out the couple realized their mistake after the tweet went viral and reached out to Cher.

The woman, identified as Syndie, tweeted back, “Omg! That’s me, and it was my birthday! Wow! I can’t believe it!”  She also responded to some incredulous fans who had a hard time believing Cher was that unrecognizable.

When asked why she was unable to recognize Cher’s voice, Syndie explained, “She had a mask on, and when she asked to take our photo, she was far away from us.”  The birthday girl also said the room was dark, but admitted that the way Cher carried herself clued her and her boyfriend in that they weren’t interacting with “an average person.”

Either way, the lovebirds are thrilled that they were able to share a special moment with Cher.  The boyfriend, who goes by the name Tehran Stokes on Twitter, marveled, “This night will certainly be remembered forever.”

Syndie joked back, “If only we could ‘turn back time.'”

When we were coming out of movie I saw beautiful
Couple.He Was taking
Her pic….She had flowers
I said … can I take your
Pic….Had my mask on so they didn’t Know Who I was. MAYBE Just a crazy woman..
THAT ME pic.twitter.com/M02p8I3tCk

— Cher (@cher) December 14, 2021

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Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh and Jeff Lynne are among the more than 40 celebrities featured in the first-ever official video for the late George Harrison‘s chart-topping 1970 hit “My Sweet Lord,” which premiered Wednesday on Harrison’s YouTube channel.

The clip begins with Star Wars great Mark Hamill portraying the head of a clandestine bureau sending one of his agents, played Saturday Night Live alum Fred Armisen, on a quest to find “something out there” that the bureau wants him to see.

Armisen soon teams up with another agent, portrayed ex-SNL cast member Vanessa Bayer, to look for the mysterious “something.”

Along the way, they cross paths or interact with a variety of musicians, actors, comedians and other celebs. In addition to Starr, Walsh and Lynne, the video features appearances by “Weird Al” Yankovic, Jon Hamm, Rosanna Arquette, Patton Oswalt, Reggie Watts, Darren Criss, Taika Waititi, the comedy duos of Tim & Eric and Garfunkel and Oates, and many others. The clip also includes cameos from Harrison’s widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, who served as an executive producer for the clip.

The “My Sweet Lord” video was written and directed by veteran filmmaker and music video director Lance Bangs, and uses the 2020 mix of the song that’s featured on the deluxe 50th anniversary reissues of George’s classic 1970 solo album All Things Must Pass, which were released this past August.

“Making this was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life,” says Bangs. “The approach was to represent the song visually while these agents and inspectors kept missing the metaphysical wonder around them…George threaded a sense of humor through all of his videos, so we kept that spirit and filled the cast with friends and admirers of his music, many coming from the current comedy landscape.”

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Human remains discovered in 1982 in the Cleveland suburb of Twinsburg, Ohio, have been identified as Frank “Frankie” Little Jr., a one-time guitarist and songwriter for legendary soul/R&B group The O’Jays.

ABC TV affiliate News 5 Cleveland reports that Little was identified thanks to genealogical research conducted by the DNA Doe Project. In 1982, an unidentified skull and, separately, a bag containing additional body parts were discovered behind a closed business in Twinsburg, and the cause of death was determined to be homicide.

Born in Cleveland in 1943 and raised there, Little played guitar and toured with The O’Jays during the mid-1960s, and also co-wrote some of the band’s songs.

O’Jays lead singer Eddie Levert said Little was a sentimental, loving and passionate person. He recalled that Frankie moved with the group to the West Coast, but eventually decided to return to his hometown.

“He could have been a great entity in the music business, but he was in love and love drove him back to Cleveland,” Levert maintained.

While it’s unclear when Little died, detectives believe he was last seen alive around the mid-1970s. DNA from his remains were used to track down potential relatives, and one of those contacted was a cousin named Margaret O’Sullivan, who informed investigators that Frankie had gone missing years ago.

Little’s brother then was contacted, and he supplied a DNA sample that helped confirm the remains’ identity.

Frankie had a daughter who died in 2021, and there’s also a son who hasn’t been located or identified yet, police told News 5.

Twinsburg Detective Eric Hendershott, who has worked on Little’s case, says the next step is to try to figure out details of Little’s murder.

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Here’s wishing a speedy recovery to KISS frontman Paul Stanley, who revealed in a Twitter post that he’s having an operation on his shoulder today.

According to the message, this will be the latest in a series of surgical procedures on his shoulder.

“SHOULDER SURGERY TODAY! How many show related surgeries have I had?? I lost count at EIGHT!!” writes Stanley. “Was it worth it?!? ABSOLUTELY! Judge the value of what of you have by what you sacrificed to achieve that goal. This was a joy-filled BARGAIN.”

Earlier this year, the singer/guitarist weathered a bout with COVID-19 that briefly sidelined KISS’ End of the Road farewell tour. The trek is scheduled to resume next year with an Australian leg that kicks off March 19 in Melbourne.

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