On Jan. 27, 1976, television welcomed its first female-fronted blue-collar comedy, Laverne & Shirley. The characters had originally shown up on TV in 1975, appearing for the first time in an episode of Happy Days. Garry Marshall, the hugely successful television producer, based the duo on two women he’d met during his dating days in Brooklyn. “We […]
Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie will join forces this summer and early fall for the Freaks on Parade tour, storming amphitheaters and arenas across North America with help from Ministry and Filter. The shock-rock roadshow launches on Aug. 24 in Dallas and concludes on Sept. 24 in Phoenix. Tickets go on sale on Feb. 3. You […]
Barrett Strong, who scored a hit with 1959’s “Money (That’s What I Want)” and went on to pen many more Motown classics for other artists, has reportedly died at the age of 81. “I am saddened to hear of the passing of Barrett Strong, one of my earliest artists, and the man who sang my […]
The breadth of influence exerted by Television’s Tom Verlaine was illustrated by the volume of tributes from artists across rock genres following his death at the age of 73 on Jan. 28. Real name Thomas Miller, the guitarist, singer and songwriter was hailed for his work after he passed due to ununspecified brief illness. “I’ve […]
Television might not have sounded like a lot of the other CBGB bands, but its members were purely “punk” in their attitude. When it came to making their debut album, the guys in Television were uncompromising. For starters, Television zigged when most of the New York groups zagged. Guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd favored […]
Glen Matlock said the version of his split with the Sex Pistols seen in TV miniseries Pistol was untrue, and offered his own explanation, adding that he’d refused a request from manager Malcolm McLaren to rejoin soon after he’d been fired. The bassist – credited as writer on 10 of the 12 tracks on Never […]
Journey played the first concert of their 50th anniversary tour on Jan. 27 in Durant, Okla. despite the ongoing litigation between principal members Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain. The discourse stems from an American Express card meant for the band’s enterprises, with Schon and Cain each claiming the other has misused the card for their own personal expenses. […]
Classic songs are being used as the soundtrack to trailers for Hollywood’s biggest movies, and the trend is bringing them back to the forefront of pop culture decades after they were originally released. Oftentimes, the versions of the songs differ slightly from the original. This is due to a process now referred to as “trailerization,” where composers […]
Longtime Elton John collaborator Bernie Taupin will detail the duo’s illustrious partnership in his upcoming book, Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton & Me. Taupin — who has written the lyrics for most of John’s songs, dating back to his 1969 debut album Empty Sky — will release Scattershot on Sept. 12. It’s available for preorder now. From the sounds of it, […]
Dean Daughtry, a co-founder of Atlanta Rhythm Section, has died at age 76. The news was confirmed in a Facebook post on the band’s official page. “We’re sad to announce the passing of our longtime and original member Dean ‘OX’ Daughtry,” read the post. “For 49 years he never missed a gig, until his health […]