This is a reverse chronological archive of past reports (Page 1 of 3) [page 2] [page 3]... The most recent reports are located here.

Former Beatles manager and president of ABKCO Records Allen Klein has passed away at the age of 77. Although Klein was best known for his work with the Fab Four, he had also worked with the Rolling Stones and several other "British Invasion" artists. Klein's tenacious business instincts and dogged determination to secure the best deal possible for his clients set him apart from other pop music managers of the 1960's. He was particularly adept at negotiating music royalty deals with record labels. His tenacity often led to disagreement and strife within the bands he represented. Of the four Beatles members, only John Lennon fully supported the direction in which Klein was taking the band with Paul McCartney being starkly opposed - a situation that many to this day feel contributed to the group's eventual breakup. Contrary to his tough reputation, the side-burned Klein proved unsuccessful in securing The Beatles' ownership of their early song catalog. His death followed a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease. He is survived by his girlfriend, a former wife and children. (July 5, 2009)

Phil Spector has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson. The legendary record producer remained expressionless and stared straight ahead as Los Angeles Superior court Larry Fidler handed down a term of 15 years to life for second degree murder with an additional four years for use of a gun in personal circumstances. Spector was also slapped with an order to pay various fees including $16,811 in expenses for Clarkson's funeral. Spector's attorney Doron Weinberg said there will be an appeal based on prosecution testimony the defense claims was admitted in error at the previous trial. Spector was led away to custody immediately after the court session concluded. (May 31, 2009)

Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Donald Evans has died of cancer. The 48 year old had been working, mostly on tour, with the band until being diagnosed with a relatively severe form of cancer in 2008. Evans was originally hired in 2001 following the death of former bassist Leon Wilkeson who had died in his sleep in a Florida hotel room. The band had recently suffered the death of it's original keyboardist Billy Powell last January. Evans, who was fondly dubbed "Ean" by the band, had died at his home in Columbus Miss. and is survived by his wife Eva and two daughters. Lynyrd Skynyrd has posted a message of condolence on their web site. (May 9, 2009)

Don Henley is taking legal action against U.S. Republican Senate candidate Charles DeVore. A lawsuit filed by Henley in Federal Court claims the DeVore campaign has used his songs Boys of Summer and All She Wants to do is Dance without authorization. The suit was brought about as a result of Henley's music being used in a pair of campaign videos with the original lyrics of "Dance" having been altered to attack one of Devore's political opponents. A message posted on DeVore's campaign site was starkly defensive regarding the suit, making reference to "Mr. Henley's liberal goon tactics." The suit names producer and renowned Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell who co-wrote Boys of Summer as a plaintiff. (April 18, 2009)

A second trial by jury in Los Angeles Superior court has found music producer Phil Spector guilty of murder in the 2003 shooting death of former actress Lana Clarkson. The shooting had taken place at Spector's large castle-like home and had originally resulted in a deadlocked 2007 murder trial. On the night of the shooting, Spector had earlier visited LA's House Of Blues night club. There he met Clarkson, who worked at the club as a hostess. She accepted Spector's invitation to visit him at his home for a late drink. After the club had closed, Spector's chauffeur drove Clarkson to Spector's home in suburban Alhambra. During the trial the chauffeur, testifying as a key prosecution witness, recalled that roughly three hours after Clarkson had entered the home, he heard a gunshot followed by Spector exiting with a gun in his hand, saying "I think I just killed somebody." The former actress was found dead in the home's foyer with a gunshot wound to her head. Spector's defence challenged the veracity of the chauffeur's recollections, arguing that Clarkson's wounds appeared to be self-inflicted, a contention they claimed was supported by multiple points of forensic police evidence. According to the prosecution, Spector had a well established past history of threatening people with guns during arguments. With five women testifying to that effect with different stories but eerily similar experiences, a common thread may have emerged that was sufficient to convince the jury of the 69 year old Phil Spector's guilt. (April 13, 2009)

Buffalo Springfield's drummer Dewey Martin passed away at the age of 68 on January 31 at his home in Van Nuys California. Martin, whose full birth name was Walter Milton Dwayne Midkiff was a native of Canada and is reported to have died of natural causes. Upon honing his skills after playing drums as a pastime throughout his teens, Martin later moved stateside and played on tour with The Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison and Patsy Cline. He had reportedly supplied Stephen Stills with some LSD, the effects of which were rumored to have had an influential role in penning the legendary 1967 song "For What It's Worth." Dewey had performed backing vocal on the song. When 'Springfield broke up a year later, Martin had attempted to form a new line-up under the name New Buffalo Springfield, but was brought to a halt by cascading legal problems. Other 'Springfield alumni were Neil Young, Richie Furay and Bruce Palmer, all of whom found considerable success and status in the years ahead. (February 13, 2009)

Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboardist Billy Powell has died at his Jacksonville FL home. He had reportedly called 911 complaining of breathing difficulties. At some point after paramedics had arrived and attempted to perform CPR, he passed away. According to the Associated Press, the 56 year old Powell had a heart condition and had recently missed a doctor appointment to undergo cardiac evaluation. Billy Powell had survived the infamous 1977 plane crash that killed bandmates Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and four others. (January 29,2009)

Renowned electric guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani is suing the British band Coldplay for allegedly plagiarizing specific passages within their hit song "Vida La Vida" from his own work. Satriani claims the passages in question resemble "substantial portions" of his instrumental song "If I Could Fly." Reuters News reports the 52 year old guitarist has filed a copyright infringement suit during this past week in Los Angeles, seeking a trial by jury to determine and award damages he may be owed as a result of the claimed infringement. The credits on the Coldplay Album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, attribute the song in question to all four members of the Grammy nominated band. The Satriani instrumental is on his 2004 album Is There Love in Space? (December 9, 2008)

The musician responsible for putting a large part of the "experience" into the sound of The Jimi Hendrix Experience has passed away. Drummer Mitch Mitchell was found dead in a Portland Ore. hotel room in the early hours of Wednesday, November 12 by a hotel staff member. The 61 year old's unique drumming style contrastingly paired a jazz-tinged atmosphere with a dynamic rock energy, forming a signature element of the overall Hendrix sound. Mitchell's style is heard in full force on the band's breakthrough albums - Are You Experienced? Axis Bold As Love and Electric Ladyland. The English musician's death follows that of Jimi Hendrix in 1970 and bassist Noel Redding in 2003. Mitchell was reportedly in Portland for a short vacation and had died near the end of his planned stay. According to a state medical examiner, his death appeared to have been of natural causes. An autopsy has been planned. (November 14, 2008)

A spokesman for Pink Floyd has announced the death of keyboardist and founding member Richard Wright. Wright, an acquaintance of Floyd's Nick Mason and Roger Waters dating back to their college days, had first joined them forming a band called Sigma 6. Wright's vocals and writing played a good part in the band's success before it's name was changed to Pink Floyd. The groundbreaking 1973 album Dark Side of The Moon featured two of Wright's songs, Us and Them and The Great Gig In The Sky. Almost a decade later Wright had left the band, but rejoined in 1987 for the album A Momentary Lapse of Reason. He was 65 and had been battling cancer. (September 15, 2009)

Led Zeppelin may have written yet another chapter in the annuls of rock history with their reunion concert, but Rush has contributed a footnote of their own by performing on U.S. television for the first time in over 30 years. The power trio of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neal Peart made an appearance on The Colbert Report where they performed the song Tom Sawyer. The show had aired July 16, 2008. Rush is currently in the final stages of the present leg of their Snakes And Arrows tour. (July 19, 2008)

Rock'n'roll pioneer Bo Diddley has passed away at the age of 79. In spite of having hit songs mostly during the fifties decade, Diddley's ultimate influence over nearly a half-century of rock was huge. This was due in large part to his now legendary signature beat being adopted over the years by rock royalty such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, George Thorogood, Buddy Holly, U2 and others. The beat can be heard in Holly's original Not Fade Away as well as in The Rolling Stone's cover version. Even the characteristic sound of Diddley's one-of-a-kind rectangular guitar found it's way into the performances of blues influenced artists such as Jimi Hendrix. Diddley had been inducted into the Rock'n'roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and had received a Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. In late 2007 after suffering a stroke that affected his speech and a heart attack in succession, he began prescribed rounds of therapy. His death on June 2 was attributed to heart failure. Having been married four times, Mr. Diddley is survived by over 30 combined children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. (June 3, 2008)

A two-story high inflatable pig used as a prop by Pink Floyd during performances at southern California's Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival had broken from it's tethers and drifted off only to be found later by some area residents just outside their homes. The mammoth pig, which belongs to vocalist Roger Waters had first appeared on the cover of the band's 1977 album Animals and had a creative tie-in with that album's song Pigs On A Wing. The two couples that found the pig's shredded and piled plastic remains will share the $10,000 reward and concert tickets being offered by festival organizers. Now that's what I call bringin' home the bacon! (May 1, 2008)

Tom Petty must have been feeling a tad nostalgic recently. The renowned rocker who scored several decades of fame with performing with The Heartbreakers has reformed his original 1972 band Mudcrutch. Petty had formed Mudcrutch in his hometown of Gainesville Florida, later relocating to Los Angeles. When west coast success proved to be more illusive than real, the band eventually split up with Petty and two others going on to form Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The original Mudcrutch lineup consisted of Petty, Tom Leadon, Randall Marsh, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench with Campbell and Tench reuniting with Petty in the new band. Last August Leadon and Marsh joined up with their "Heartbreaker" counterparts at Petty's Malibu home and initially recorded four songs in the relatively "non-studio" atmosphere of a nearby facility normally used by Petty for rehearsal. Over the ensuing two week period, the band had already completed an album's worth of recording. Mudcrutch has been released as a self-titled debut. (May 1, 2008)

E Street Band member Danny Federici has passed away at the age of 58. The keyboardist was lauded by Bruce Springsteen as being "the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician." Federici was diagnosed with melanoma in 2004 and had been battling the disease since. He last performed with "the boss" at a concert in late March 2008, some forty years after they had first started playing together at various Jersey Shore rock houses. The bond between them grew in the years to come, seemingly in step with the growing fame of Springsteen and the band. Federici has also played on albums by fellow E-Streeter Steven Van Zandt, Graham Parker, and Gary U.S. Bonds. (April 18, 2008)

Canadian blues / rock guitarist Jeff Healey who was rendered blind by a rare form of retinal cancer at the age of one died this Sunday at a Toronto hospital with his family at his side. The 41 year old musician and jazz aficionado was highly regarded for his unique style of playing - most often with his guitar flat on his lap while seated. Healey had undergone past surgery to remove tumors in his lungs and leg, which made it difficult for him to stand while performing. His life was ultimately claimed by an advanced stage of lung cancer. Besides his music career, Healey hosted a local Toronto jazz radio show and had appeared in the 1989 Patrick Swayze movie Roadhouse. (March 4, 2008)

Buddy Miles has passed away at the age of 60. The famed drummer had played in the second Jimi Hendrix group, Band Of Gypsys. His tenure included playing on Hendrix's classic Electric Ladyland and earlier work with Wilson Pickett and The Delfonics followed later by recording sessions with David Bowie, Muddy Waters, Stevie Wonder and others. Miles had reportedly died of congestive heart failure at his Austin, Texas home. (February 28, 2008)

Tom Scholz, founder and musical architect of the renowned classic rock band Boston has informed aspiring Republican candidate and bassist Mike Huckabee of his disapproval over the Huckabee campaign's use of the song More Than A Feeling. Initially, the song had been played live at some campaign events by Huckabee's own band Capitol Offense joined on the stage by former Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau. In a letter to Huckabee, Scholz pointed out that Goudreau's participation did not amount to an endorsement of his campaign by the band. Goudreau was one of Boston's founding members, but left in 1978 after the release of the band's second album Don't Look Back. According to the Associated Press, Scholz wrote "Boston has never endorsed a political candidate, and with all due respect, would not start by endorsing a candidate who is the polar opposite of most everything Boston stands for." By using my song, and my band's name Boston, you have taken something of mine and used it to promote ideas to which I am opposed. In other words, I think I've been ripped off, dude!" Scholz may have a fight on his hands as it turns out some members of Huckabee's team are not quite taking this sitting down. Said New Hampshire campaign manager Fred Bramante "Governor Huckabee plays Sweet Home Alabama. Does that mean Lynyrd Skynyrd is endorsing him? He plays Louie Louie. Does that mean the Kingsmen are endorsing him? To me, it's ridiculous." Scholtz has let it be known that he personally supports Democratic contender Barack Obama. (February 15, 2008)

The Rolling Stones will be releasing the soundtrack album of their forthcoming concert film Shine A Light through Universal Music, a move many music industry insiders view as a snub towards the band's current label EMI. An EMI representative however begged to differ, stating that since the film itself was being released through the corporation's Universal Pictures subsidiary, it was long understood that the soundtrack would also be released under the Universal brand and have no effect on the band's relationship with EMI. The Rolling Stones have been affiliated with the EMI Group for the past 16 years. The film is directed by Martin Scorsese and captures a 2006 live performance of the band at the Beacon Theater in New York City. EMI has recently endured the loss of some rather high profile artists such as Radiohead and Paul McCartney. Having been purchased last year by a private equity partnership, the company may now be facing a massive restructuring plan to offset revenue losses resulting from several years of falling CD sales. (January 17, 2008)

The reunited and (slightly) reformed Led Zeppelin put on a fine show at the memorial fundraiser for the late Atlantic Records founder and producer Ahmet Ertegun. With an inspiring 130 minute, 16 song set, original members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, joined by John Bonham's son Jason Bonham on drums, aptly validated the band's ongoing legendary stature in the order of things rock'n'roll. The set included Zep standards such as Kashmir, Trampled Underfoot, the opener Good Times Bad Times, Dazed And Confused and of course the ubiquitous "signature" Stairway To Heaven. The set in general was performed with a slightly slower tempo than the studio originals and for that matter, previous live gigs. This was most apparent on Kashmir and In My Time of Dying in which Jimmy Page performed with slide and hollow-body electric guitars. The nearly 20,000 fans who were fortunate enough to attend the December 10 concert at London's O2 arena (perhaps "lucky" is a better word - due to demand, all public tickets were dispensed via an on-line lottery) witnessed a musical event destined to stand among the great live rock'n'roll events of our time. Even Ahmet Ertegun could never have asked for more. (December 13, 2007)

Peter Garrett the lead singer of the now disbanded late eighties band Midnight Oil has been appointed environment minister in his native Australia's newly elected Labor Party government. A dedicated environmental activist and supporter of aboriginal rights, Garrett initially chose music as the medium for his political discourse before disbanding Midnight Oil in 2002. The band is perhaps best known for their 1988 song "Beds Are Burning" whose lyrics dealt with the diminished land rights of Australia's indigenous people. While still involved with Midnight Oil, Garrett began his ascension into public life by heading the Australian Conservation Foundation and serving as an environmental board member of Greenpeace. (November 29, 2007)

The lead singer of Quiet Riot was found dead last Sunday in his Las Vegas home. Nevada authorities are investigating the death of 52 year old Kevin Dubrow. According to the Las Vegas metro police, a concerned neighbor had summoned both police and paramedics to the site. The police also said they had found no evidence of forced entry into the home nor had any suspicious circumstances been reported. The four member band was founded in the mid-seventies and scored a huge hit in 1983 with the "hair metal" classic album Metal Health. Following an extended period of occasional touring besot by personnel breakups and other changes, the band had released a new album just last year. (November 29, 2007)

Ozzy Osbourne is not pleased after a Fargo, North Dakota area sheriff conducted a sting using Osbourne's name to attract and arrest a group of warrant violators. Cass County sheriff Paul Laney had invited 500 individuals with outstanding warrants to what was billed as an exclusive nightclub party being held before a concert featuring Osbourne and fellow rocker Rob Zombie. The concert had taken place as scheduled at a local arena. The sting lead to over 30 arrests and was declared a success by the sheriff. In a formal statement, Osbourne said "Instead of holding a press conference to pat himself on the back, Sheriff Laney should be apologizing to me for using my name in connection with these arrests." Osboune went on to say "It is insulting to me and to my audience and it shows how lazy this particular sheriff is when it comes to doing his job." For his part, Laney was unapologetic, comparing his technique with a bar mentioning different football teams when promoting a Super Bowl party. Laney added that since criminals are creative in evading the law, his officers have to be equally creative in doing their job to reel them in. (November 3, 2007)

Record producer Phil Spector has gone for a walk. No ordinary walk, mind you - but a rather special one he'll likely remember for awhile. The Los Angeles jury deliberating over Spector's alleged guilt in the February 2003 shooting murder of actress Lana Clarkson has been unable to render a decision, even after receiving modified instructions from presiding Superior Court Judge Larry Fidler. With the jury foreman reporting a 7 to 5 impasse after a five month period of testimony, Judge Fidler had no choice but to declare a mistrial and let the 67 year old Spector go free. During the trial, prosecutors brought in Spector's chauffeur who testified he had heard a gun-shot like sound from Spector's mansion just before Spector came outside and said "I think I just killed somebody." They also presented five female witnesses acquainted with Spector who testified that Spector had pulled a gun on them during previous encounters. Spector's defence argued that Clarkson had attempted either suicide or self-inflicted wounding due to suffering from intense personal problems. The famed late 1950's girl-group producer now joins the company of a two other male L.A. celebrities charged with murder but ultimately discharged by their respective juries - namely O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake. (Sept 27, 2007)

Promoters of a UK concert being held to honor the late, famed music producer Ahmet Ertegun have announced the lineup will feature a performance by the surviving original members of Led Zeppelin. Ertegun, who had founded Atlantic Records in 1947 had passed away last December at the age of 83. The concert will be held this coming November 26 at the O2 in London. The deceased John Bonham's son Jason Bonham will take his father's place on the drum riser just back of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. Ertegun had a thriving passion for jazz, soul and blues and had encouraged both Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones to incorporate a blues derived style in their material. Other rock luminaries announced as performers at the event include Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman and Foreigner. (September 13, 2007)
UPDATE: Due to Jimmy Page having undergone a minor injury, the concert has been postponed to December 10, 2007. Page had accidentally fractured his finger and decided it would be best to push back the concert date so as to give the injury some time to heal. In a statement to the media, Page said "Led Zeppelin have always set very high standards for ourselves, and we feel that this postponement will enable my injury to properly heal, and permit us to perform at the level that both the band and our fans have always been accustomed to.” It was announced that refunds will be available and that tickets bearing the original date will be honored on the postponed date.

It's almost old news by now, but we wanted to make sure it's official: Van Halen will be reuniting with original vocalist David Lee Roth for a tour of 50 dates across North America. This tour will mark the first time Van Halen and Roth have performed togther since 1985 when Roth had left the band for a solo career. With Roth's departure, Van Halen continued touring and performing, first bringing in Sammy Hagar as Roth's replacement. Former Extreme singer Gary Cherone had joined the band barely long enough to record one album before Hagar returned. After one reasonably successful album, Roth's solo career quickly went south. Jokes about the band's reunion with Roth have been recently flying around fast and thick. In a monologue last week, Conan O'Brien said Van Halen and Roth had actually wanted to reunite sooner, but it never happened until now because they weren't desperate enough. The sad part is that Conan's comedic insight on this might be a lot closer to the truth than what's typical for late-night humor. (August 12, 2007)
UPDATE: It's been confirmed that Eddie Van Halen's 16 year old son Wolfgang will be playing bass on the tour and likely on the next album as well. Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony had already departed to pursue other activities - one of which is reportedly going on tour with none other than Sammy Hagar.

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