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09/08/2026

JOURNEY: Today and Tomorrow?
Following up on why Journey were joined at their two recent shows in Japan by Steve Perry look-alike and somewhat sound-alike Hugo Valenti, who leads a New Jersey-based Journey tribute band, all signs are pointing toward another incarnation of the band without their current singer Arnel Pineda -- should their tour continue beyond what's now listed as the final date, November 28th in their hometown of San Francisco.

As plans for their Final Frontier farewell tour took shape, Pineda told Rolling Stone, "I was really not happy with how they scheduled this tour. My body has changed. I can’t take the cold weather anymore." He went onto say that he "wanted to retire because of my personal problems (he's going through a 'nasty' divorce)... Obviously, they don’t want to find another singer..."

Well, having Valenti join them could be their way of holding an open audition as Pineda, responding to a post on Instagram showing photos of Valenti onstage in Tokyo, wrote, "That’s the band right there. Now I can step back..congratulations Journey."

Nothing else has been said and Valenti was not with Journey when they performed on Saturday and Sunday in Honolulu with their third and final show there set for Tuesday.

However, three of Journey's other members -- keyboardist Jonathan Cain, drummer Deen Castronovo, and their other keyboardist Jason Derlatka have been singing lead on at least eight songs.

09/05/2026

09/03/2026

AEROSMITH & OZZY: Get Crooned

You most likely never heard Steven Tyler and Ozzy Osbourne mentioned in the same sentence as Engelbert Humperdinck, but the 90-year old British singer has been a longtime fan of theirs and recorded a song from each on his new album, Faithfully, which was released last week.

The Aerosmith song he chose is their only number-one hit, 1998's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," which they recorded for the movie Armageddon.

"He's such a one-of-a-kind and I love his style and I was happy to sing that song."

And as for Ozzy, Engelbert covered "Mama, I'm Coming Home."

"I never got to meet him, but I just love that man in every way because he's an Englishman who comes from Birmingham, down the road from where I live in Leicester. I felt as though I knew him because I was living so close to him type of thing. I loved what he used to do and I wanted to do one of his songs on the album and I thought this one is the only one that I would be capable of doing."

In addition to Aerosmith and Ozzy, Humperdinck also covered songs by The Beatles, Bad Company, Journey, KISS, Tom Petty, and others.

Among those who joined him on the album are Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain, Jethro Tull singer Ian Anderson, a former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman.

Engelbert Humperdinck - Faithfully track list:

“Faithfully” - Journey featuring Jonathan Cain
“Take My Breath Away” - Berlin feat. Al Di Meola
“More Than Words” - Extreme feat. Eric Gales
“Something” - The Beatles
“I Was Made for Lovin’ You” - KISS feat. Harvey Mandel (Canned Heat)
“Mama, I’m Coming Home” - Ozzy Osbourne
“Drive” - The Cars
“Feel Like Makin’ Love” - Bad Company feat. Ian Anderson & Bob Daisley (Ozzy, Sabbath, Rainbow, Uriah Heep)
“Heaven” - Bryan Adams
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” - Aerosmith feat. Sonny Landreth
“Beth” - KISS feat. Rick Wakeman
“Always My Love”
“Alone” feat. Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Kansas, Deep Purple) & Jonathan Cain
“Can’t Get It Out of My Head” ELO feat. Jonathan Cain
“I Won’t Back Down” - Tom Petty feat. George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob)

09/02/2026

PETE TOWNSHEND: Won't Be Going Down to the Crossroads
Pete Townshend has pulled out of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival on September 26th and 27th in Austin, Texas.

He says, "I'm so sorry to say that due to damage to my left foot, and subsequent issues with my balance, I cannot commit to travel to appear at the upcoming Crossroads Festival in Austin.

“I so desperately wanted to appear, and have battled to get in shape, and I am improving, but the long flights from London, and the jetlag on my return, would cause backtracking I really can't afford.”

With no pun intended, Townshend is putting his foot where his mouth is by donating $50,000 to Clapton's Crossroads Antigua, his rehab center on the Caribbean island that the festival benefits.

"One day I hope I can accept Eric's invitation to appear with him. He has now asked me several times.

“There has always been some issue, in this case it is my recovery from my knee replacement in February of 2025, and some complications.

“I want to especially thank Derek Trucks and Susie Tedeschi for their offer to support me as my backing band. Wow! That is something I can only dream about, and maybe one day it will happen.”

Townshend ended his statement by saying he will "keep working on getting well so I can work with Roger [Daltrey] and The Who in future."

The Who did their Song Is Over - North American Farewell Tour last summer and fall, but recently rehearsed in England with their former drummer Zak Starkey as they're entertaining dates next year.

08/31/2026

GEORGE HARRISON: His Sweet Headache

50 today -- August 31st, 1976 -- George Harrison was found guilty of "subconsciously plagiarizing" The Chiffons' "He's So Fine" in writing "My Sweet Lord." The decision cost him almost $600,000 in royalties.

He says he was inspired to write the first track off his triple-LP, 1970's All Things Must Pass, after a visit to India and reading a book by Swami Gaudiya Vaishnava.

"He said, 'If there's a god we must see him. If there's a soul we must perceive it, otherwise it's better not to believe.' And I thought, 'Yeah, right on. All these years I've been hearing all this stuff like, 'Well, you know, we like to believe in God, but he's dead/ We nailed him up 2,000 years ago and just shut up and give us your money.' And that's the kind of spiritual attitude that I was brought up with. And to hear somebody saying, 'If there's God we must see him.' And I thought, 'Yeah. Right. I want to see him.' And so I wrote that tune on that kind of basis."

And he said his goal was to write an upbeat, catchy tune like the Edwin Hawkins Singers' 1967 version of the 18th century hymn, "Oh Happy Day."

"That really blissed me out when I listened to that record, and I just thought, 'Oh, I got to write one of them.' And that's what I tried to write, 'Oh Happy Day,' but, you know, unfortunately they thought I wrote 'He's So Fine,' which I now own, which is poetic justice."

While August 31st is the anniversary of the initial ruling in the plagiarism case, the numerous appeals lasted years.

The Harrison estate still retains the rights to "My Sweet Lord," as well as "He's So Fine," which Harrison purchased to prevent anyone else from making future royalty claims.

"My Sweet Lord" was the first number-one single by a member of The Beatles, and it was nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards in 1972. It lost to Carole King's "It's Too Late."

Harrison recorded "My Sweet Lord" at Abbey Road Studios in London. Among the musicians who played on it were Eric Clapton, Gary Wright, Billy Preston, an uncredited Peter Frampton, Ringo Starr, bassist Klaus Voorman, Badfinger, and Derek and the Dominos drummer Jim Gordon.

08/28/2026

BEATLES: Played Last Full Concert 60 Years Ago
The Beatles gave their final paid concert 60 years ago this Saturday -- August 29th, 1966 -- at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

Believing that their tours had grown too large and complex for their manager Brian Epstein to oversee, they decided to abandon touring to concentrate on recording.

Over 35,000 tickets were put on sale, but the promoter lost money as only 25,000 were sold for the final stop on their third U.S. tour.

They did 11 songs, which were identical to almost all the other shows on the tour.

After the show they were taken to the airport in an armored truck for their flight to Los Angeles. During the flight George Harrison reportedly said, "That's it, then. I'm not a Beatle anymore." And later on, he talked about their decision to quit touring, saying, "We'd been through every race riot, and every city we went to there was some kind of a jam going on, and police control, and people threatening to do this and that ... and [us] being confined to a little room or a plane or a car. We all had each other to dilute the stress, and the sense of humor was very important ... But there was a point where enough was enough."

The Beatles set list at San Francisco's Candlestick Park on August 29th, 1966:

"Rock and Roll Music"
"She's a Woman"
"If I Needed Someone"
"Day Tripper"
"Baby's in Black"
"I Feel Fine"
"Yesterday"
"I Wanna Be Your Man"
"Nowhere Man"
"Paperback Writer"
"Long Tall Sally" - followed by tease of "In My Life"
In August 2014, Paul McCartney played the final concert held at Candlestick Park, which was demolished in 2015.

08/27/2026

Fender’s Custom Shop has replicated George Harrison’s 1967 VI bass. The original was gifted to the band by Fender in 1968 and became an integral part of their recordings. Also played on occasion by John Lennon, it can be heard on such songs as “Helter Skelter,” “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” “Rocky Raccoon,” “Honey Pie,” “Birthday,” and “Let It Be.” It’s also featured in the video for “Hey Jude.” It will set you back $9,500.

08/25/2026

Dolly Parton has exchanged her butterfly wings for Angels wings.

Dolly Parton was around six when she wrote her first song: "Little Tiny Tasseltop," an ode to her corncob doll with corn-silk hair.
"I loved that little doll," Parton wrote decades later. "I expressed myself and my feelings through writing - I’m sure what I was thinking was, 'Well, Tasseltop has to have a song about her.'"

Parton never stopped making music after that. The singer, songwriter and actress whose heartfelt lyrics and charisma captured the public's imagination for nearly six decades, died today aged 80.

Dolly Rebecca Parton ​was born on January 19, 1946, in Pittman Center, Tennessee, and grew up in a one-room cabin in nearby Locust Ridge. One of 12 children of to***co farmer Robert Lee Parton.
Her mother, Avie Lee, would sing constantly - songs that told a story. "Mama had this haunting voice, and Lord you would feel it," Parton wrote in her 2020 book "Dolly Parton, Songteller" co-authored with Robert K. Oermann.
Parton got her first real guitar when she was eight. Her mother would say, whenever she had guests: "I want you to hear this song this little thing has made up. It’s really good."

Dolly has graced the big screen and won 11 Grammy awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming one of the best-selling female artists of all time.
Despite all her accolades and achievements, Dolly found the greatest meaning in her art.
"I feel like I'm closest to God when I write," she wrote in "Dolly Parton, Songteller." "A great line will just ​come to me, and I'll go, 'Hey, thank You, Lord. I know I didn't think of that.'"
"At the end of the day, I hope that I will be remembered as a good songwriter. The songs are my legacy."