April 11 - 21, 2008

These are the scripts Joe Benson used on the air at 95.5 KLOS in Los Angeles. They all received final editing by Jan Benson, without whom the task would have been far too daunting. Remember to give credit where credit is due, and enjoy!

April 11, 2008

Richard Berry, who originally wrote and recorded "Louie Louie," would have been 81.
Guitarist Robert Fripp of King Crimson is 61.

On this day in 1956, James Brown debuted on the R&B charts with "Please, Please, Please."

On this day in 1961, Bob Dylan played his first professional gig. Gerde's Folk City in New York's Greenwich Village was the place, and "Blowin' in the Wind" was the highlight tune.

On this day in 1967, Paul McCartney came up with the idea for The Beatles' film "Magical Mystery Tour" after visiting The Beach Boys during sessions for the album "Smile." Unfortunately, with Beatles' manager Brian Epstein having died from an overdose recently, there was no one around to tell Paul that the film wasn't a good idea.

On this day in 1970, as The Beatles disintegrated, their single "Let It Be" hit #1.

On this day in 1970, guitarist Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac announced his departure from the original line-up in order to follow his religious beliefs.

On this day in 1981, "Don't Stand So Close To Me" by The Police peaked at #10.

On this day in 1992, "I Can't Dance" by Genesis peaked at #7 on the charts.

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of The Rolling Stones, as well as conversation with Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese.

AC/DC Really Doing It

Remember when AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams said that the band would enter a studio in March to begin working on a new album? Now we have an interesting roundabout confirmation that the boys are recording for the first time in what seems like 613 years. Official word is that the Supersuckers can't get to work on their new album because their producer is busy engineering for famed producer Brendan O'Brien, who is producing the new album from AC/DC. In the past, O'Brien has worked with Pearl Jam, Velvet Revolver, Stone Temple Pilots, Audioslave and some guy named Springsteen. Stay tuned!

Elton's Way With Cash

Never one to slack off, Elton John raised millions of dollars in a couple of nights earlier this week. At a Breast Cancer Research Fund benefit on Tuesday, Sir Elty pulled an estimated $5 million out of an upscale crowd at New York's Waldorf-Astoria. Tables at that event went for between $20,000 and $100,000. The next night, Elton raised $2.5 million for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign at a gig that normal folks could afford to attend.

Metallica/Tenacious D To RAWCK!

Metallica is teaming up with Jack Black's Tenacious D for a Dublin show on August 20th. Then the two bands will RAWCK England's giant Leeds Festival two days later, followed by the Reading Festival two days after that. You don't suppose they actually need that day off in between gigs to rest because Jack Black RAWCKS so hard, do you?

Great Healey Line-Up

What a line-up!! On May 3rd, Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan, Cream bassist Jack Bruce and Guess Who/BTO guitarist Randy Bachman will perform at the first of two Toronto benefit concerts celebrating the life of guitar virtuoso Jeff Healey. The second night will be a tribute to Healey's jazz career. The proceeds from the shows will benefit the Healey Family Trust and Daisy's Eye Cancer Fund, a charity that assists the families of children with retinoblastoma, the rare cancer that took Jeff's sight when he was one-year-old. Jeff passed away on March 2nd. He was only 41.

Winwood's Package

It's a nice package deal. Steve Winwood will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree during Boston's Berklee College of Music 2008 commencement exercises on May 10th. Two days before the ceremony, Winwood will play a special show at the Berklee Performance Center as a measure of appreciation for receiving the degree. Then, on May 9th, Berklee students will perform a few of Steve' compositions during a concert at Boston's Agganis Arena.

Hot Rods In Chatsworth

This Sunday, 9am - 3pm: Unc will be hanging at the The 1st Annual B&M/Hurst/McLeod Charity Car Show at B&M Racing & Performance at 9142 Independence Avenue in Chatsworth. The show will be featuring all sorts of vehicles manufactured from 1900 - 1973. For info, call 818-882-6422.

Quote Of The Weekend

It was Oscar Wilde who said: "The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple."

Mom Kicks Ass

A burglar in Cedar Rapids, Iowa made a couple of big mistakes when he tried to steal a Playstation 3 game console last week. First, he woke the mother of the house. Second, and perhaps worse, was that the mother was professional boxer Deidre Rodriguez. The burglar took off on foot and Rodriguez easily chased him down, cracking him in the head with an ice chipper and dragging his body back to her house where the police were waiting. Her final gesture was to make the burglar pick up all the items he'd dropped as he fled the scene.

April 12, 2008

Steppenwolf's head guy, John Kay is 64.
David Letterman turns a cranky 61.
Guitarist Pat Travers is 54.

On this day in 1972, The Rolling Stones released "Exile on Main Street" — considered by many to be their finest album.

On this day in 1982, John Mellencamp released his "American Fool" album under the name John Cougar. The album was a huge success, enabling John to drop the "Cougar" name as soon as his contract ran out.

April 13, 2008

Bassist Jack Casady of the Jefferson Airplane is 64.
Lowell George, the crazy musical genius behind Little Feat, would have been 63.
"Mighty Max" Weinberg, The E Street Band's drummer, is 57.

On this day in 1963, The Kingsmen recorded "Louie Louie." — the ultimate Rock & Roll song. They used one microphone hanging from the ceiling and, beside not being sure of the correct lyrics, the singer had a real bad sore throat. The result was a true classic!

On this day in 1964, The Beatles announced that their first film would be called "A Hard Day's Night."

On this day in 1966, The Beatles recorded "Paperback Writer."

On this day in 1974, Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" hit #1 on the singles chart just as he released the single "Daniel."

On this day in 2005, pioneering rock pianist Johnnie Johnson died in his sleep at the age of 80 in his St. Louis home. Not only did the legendary musician help Chuck Berry get his start in the early 1950s, he was the main inspiration for the song "Johnny B. Good."

April 14, 2008

One-time guitar god Ritchie Blackmore, of Deep Purple and Rainbow, is 63.

On this day in 1963, The Beatles first met The Rolling Stones after The Stones' first set of the night at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, England. Keith Richard's first impression? He was blown away by The Beatles' long black leather coats. George Harrison's first impression? He was impressed by the unsigned band's rowdy performance.

On this day in 1965, The Beatles announced that they had changed the title of their second film from "Eight Arms To Hold You" to "Help!"

On this day in 1969, Paul McCartney and John Lennon recorded The Beatles song "The Ballad of John and Yoko" at Abbey Road Studios.

On this day in 1972, The Rolling Stones released the single "Tumblin' Dice" from the "Exile on Main Street" album.

On this day in 1979, Van Halen's "Van Halen II" blasted onto the album charts.

On this day in 1983, bassist Pete Farndon of The Pretenders, who had just been fired from the band because of his drug problem, died of a drug overdose at the age of 29.

On this day in 1987, Fleetwood Mac released their "Tango In The Night" album.

On this day in 1989, Tom Petty released his first solo project, "Full Moon Fever."

Riding The Zep

How much would you pay to be the first to venture on the Led Zeppelin – The Ride roller coaster in the new Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina? Cindy Ennis — a 45-year-old mom — won the charity auction with a bid of $1,829 for two front row and two second row seats. Proceeds will benefit the Sara Goodwin Memorial Foundation for underprivileged children. The first public ride will be held tomorrow when the 55 acre, $400 million park opens to the public for the first time. The Led Zeppelin guys actually had a hand in creating the ride for the theme park, but they won't be on hand to see Cindy scream. (God knows it wouldn't be the first time they made a Cindy scream!)

OzzFest Rumoroids

Did you ever ask if anybody besides Sharon Osbourne cares about OzzFest anymore? The answer is yes. The Heavy Metal rumor web sites (which are only slightly more reliable than the British tabloid press) are amuck with word that Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica will headline this Summer's Ozzfest — which may actually be two separate two-day events in late July and/or early August. Unless Sharon suddenly starts talking, stay tuned for the truth!

UCLA Medical Records Breached

While it was Britney Spears who triggered the investigation into a medical snooping scandal at the UCLA Medical Center, word is that the medical records of late Beatle George Harrison, John Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas and singer Mariah Carey were among the records that were breached in 2001. Of the 53 reported UCLA Medical staffers linked to the most recent snooping scandal, 18 non-physicians have since been fired or dismissed, or have retired or resigned. UCLA has announced that a new committee will review the privacy policy and computer security at the medical center. Wonder how long before someone looks into their files?

Euphoria Or Bust

It took them long enough, but the Black Crowes have finally "officially" announced their 90-city tour. The Euphoria Or Bust Tour will kick off June 28th in Hershey, Pennsylvania and will wrap up at the Fillmore in San Francisco on December 20th. Each show on the tour will feature a "midnight special" ticket pre-sale for fans (see their web site for details). As for Southland gigs, there'll be at least one Greek Theater show — Wednesday September 17th.

Daltrey's Special Gig

As part of his annual participation in England's Teenage Cancer Trust fundraiser, Roger Daltrey played a 30-minute set last Thursday for a lucky audience of 150 at London's Royal Albert Hall. The private concert took place in a restaurant in the legendary Hall with Daltrey's minimally rehearsed band of Simon Townshend (guitar/mandolin/backing vocals), Danny Thompson (bass), John Rabbit Bundrick (keyboards) and Billy Nichols (guitar/backing vocals) obviously having a blast. The eight-song set included Who classics as well as a cover of the Johnny Cash hit "Ring of Fire." Roger and Pete Townshend closed out the week-long Teenage Cancer Trust fundraiser with a rare acoustic performance last night at the full-sized Royal Albert Hall.

Randy Wins!

Randy Balough drove his Uncle Joe's Super Gas 1963 Corvette into Victory Lane at this weekend's NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway! Congrats to Randy and his crew! (We'll have pictures shortly!)

Grand Prix!

This weekend: Just like he has every April since 1986, yer Uncle Joe will once again be part of the action at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. This year he'll kick things off with a Friday broadcast from Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company, followed by huge Saturday and Sunday Meet & Greets with the KLOS Cool Patrol. Check out last year's photos.

Quote Of The Day

It was Maya Angelou who said: "Life offers us tickets to places which we have not knowingly asked for."

Stressing On Taxes

It's a given that the winter holiday season is the most stressful time for Americans. But a new Harris Poll says that U.S. adults consider preparing their taxes just about as stressful.

* 42% of respondents say that preparing their taxes is one of the most stressful things they'll do this year.

* When respondents were asked what they would most feel like doing after filing their taxes, 37% chose eating out at a restaurant, compared with 25% who chose taking a vacation, 17% who chose sleeping and 10% who chose having a real stiff drink.

April 15, 2008

Guitarist Dave Edmunds is 64.
Mike Chapman, who co-wrote glam anthems like Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" with Nicky Chinn, and produced Blondie, The Knack and Pat Benatar, is 61.

On this day in 1966, Buffalo Springfield performed for the first time in public when they opened for the Byrds in San Bernardino. Little did anyone know that two years down the road Buffalo Springfield's Stephen Stills and Neil Young would join up with the Byrds' David Crosby in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

On this day in 1971, The Beatles won the Best Film Music (Original Song Score) Oscar for their film "Let It Be."

On this day in 1972, "Roundabout" by Yes peaked at #13 and Led Zeppelin's "Rock And Roll" topped out at #47 on the charts.

On this day in 1978, Kansas' "Dust In The Wind" peaked at #6 on the singles charts.

Robert & Alison On Top

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss won the Wide Open Country Video Award for "Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Move On)" during last night's CMT Awards program. In accepting the award, Plant said: "I'd like to thank [the song's writers] Phil and Don Everly for getting me through my teenage years and I'd like to thank Alison for getting me through my late fifties." In other news, Robert & Alison, John Fogerty and David Byrne of Talking Heads fame are among the top acts booked for this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival. The seventh ACL Fest will feature over 125 diverse acts from September 26th - 28th.

New Crue Revealed Today

First off, Motley Crue's new album will be called "Saints of Los Angeles," not the previously announced "Dirt." Also significant is the fact that the album, artwork and first video (for the title track) are all finished. For any info other than that, you'll have to wait for the band's big announcement this afternoon around 4 at the Avalon in Hollywood. Oh yeah, you can watch it live at Motley.com!

Macca's Road Trip

We're all waiting for KLOS' Chris Carter to confirm that Paul McCartney will launch a huge world tour this Fall. Word is that during the jaunt through Europe, the States, Canada and Australia, Sir Paulie will debut some new songs. Unless Chris jumps the gun on Breakfast With The Beatles, the official announcement is expected next month — which gives Heather Mills plenty of time to whine about getting screwed again.

Top & Dunn (& Brooks)

ZZ Top added a slew of dates to their North American itinerary, including a late-Summer run with Brooks & Dunn (think about August 8th at the Hyundai Pavilion in Devore). No word on their in-production new album, but when it's ready, they'll let us know!

Def's Down

I know that Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott was battling an upper respiratory infection before the boys recently began their tour with Styx and REO Speedwagon. Unfortunately, his continued illness forced the postponement of last week's four Canadian concerts and this week's Grand Rapids, Michigan gig. The tour in support of their upcoming Songs From the Sparkle Lounge album is expected to continue in Detroit on Saturday.

Win That Magic Bus!

You still have time to enter to win The Who's Magic Bus! The bus in question is a customized 1965 Volkswagen T1 Panel Van that's been signed by the surviving band members. At least $7 from each $10 raffle ticket fee goes to the Teenage Cancer Trust charity. Even if you don't win the bus in the July 8th drawing, you'll receive a free download of a previously unreleased live performance of "Magic Bus" from the group's gig at the International Bus Meeting last year.  Head to TheWhoMagicBus.com for more info.

Tax Time Again

It's THAT time of the year again. Don't forget to pay your taxes... 12 million illegal aliens are depending on you!

Taxing Factoids

On February 25, 1913 the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, providing for an income tax. Here's the short form on taxing factoids.

#1. Americans pay over $30,000 in federal, state and local taxes every second of every day.

#2. In a lifetime, the average American files 42 income tax returns and spends 464 hours preparing those forms. The average American earns $1,235,720 in his lifetime, and of this sum pays $178,364 in taxes.

#3. The number of unclaimed tax refunds that are being held by the I.R.S.: 96,000. The amount of money that is waiting to be refunded: $62 million.

#4. The official manual of the Internal Revenue Service has been hailed as "the world's most confusing publication" — it is 38,000 pages long.

#5. In 1695, English law levied a tax on bachelors. At the time, it seemed like a good idea to inspire eligible Englishmen to choose a bride.

#6. In 1820, the state of Missouri levied a one-dollar tax on bachelors from ages 21 to 50 because they didn't have a wife.

#7. In 1702, Russia enacted a tax on men who sported beards.

#8. The sovereign countries with the lowest income tax in the world are Bahrain and Qatar. No matter what one's income is, it's not taxable. (It's nice to have all that oil in the ground, isn't it?)

April 16, 2008

Foghat singer/guitarist "Lonesome Dave" Peverett would have been 65.
Gerry Rafferty of Stealer's Wheel and "Baker Street" fame is 61.

On this day in 1947, the first zoom lens was demonstrated to the public. (Would Rock & Roll be the same without it?)

On this day in 1972, the Electric Light Orchestra played their first live show. As Jeff Lynne told me, it was just barely so-so.

On this day in 1973, Queen played their first U.S. concert at Regis College in Denver. No one knew what to make of them!

On this day in 1977, Fleetwood Mac released "Dreams," which soon became their first #1 hit.

New Crue Revealed

Motley Crue's big announcement party at the Avalon yesterday confirmed they'll be doing a 40-date Crue Fest '08 and that their new album will be called "Saints of Los Angeles," not the previously announced "Dirt." The group's first studio album with its original members in more than a decade will be out on June 17th. The Crue Fest tour will begin on July 1st on West Palm Beach, hit the Hyundai Pavilion in Devore on August 2nd, and wrap on August 31st in Pittsburgh. The tour will also feature Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt and Sixx:A.M. — Crue bassist Nikki Sixx's side band. Rock on!

Busy Brian's Busy

Did you know that Brian May is a guitar god and an astrophysics scholar as well as the Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University? In accepting the largely honorary post at a special ceremony, the 60-year-old May addressed Queen's upcoming album and tour. He said, "The long arm of Queen has pulled me back in at the moment. It is a beast. We've pressed the button to go on tour this autumn so already the preparations are very consuming. We are finishing an album. We've chosen our set, we've chosen our environment on tour." May also confirmed work is underway on the sequel to "We Will Rock You," the hit musical inspired by the band. With all that writing and a European tour kicking off in mid-September and Stateside gigs following early next year, there's no doubt Dr. May is the busiest Chancellor in the world!

Guess Who's Moving In Next Door

Did you notice how loudly Heather Mills was booed at last weekend's Miss USA Pageant? Turns out that some of those boos may have come from the show's producers. Word is that she was so convinced that she would be responsible if the show got high ratings that she hung the producers out for weeks by refusing to sign a contract to allow the show to be rebroadcast. The upside for the British Empire is that while judging the Pageant contestants, Paul McCartney's ex disclosed she was moving to the States, saying: "In England, people don't like me. But I'm going to move to America, Los Angeles, hopefully... I'll be better off in the States." No, really... that's what she said.

Sting's New Pad

Looking for a place to crash in New York City? Maybe you can hang with Sting, who's just purchased a new apartment on New York's Central Park West for $26.5 million. The 16th-floor condominium is in a recently constructed 43-story building. Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler are trying to sell an 18-room duplex on the same block. Considering the depressed real estate market. it's a good thing The Police frontman is only asking $24 million for that pad.

Roddy's Really Writing

Word from England is that Rod Stewart has signed a multi-million-dollar deal with Harper Collins to put his life's story in print. Roddy's book is supposed to offer details on his professional life, from his days as a gravedigger through his time as a struggling singer and his rise to super stardom. And yes, there should be more than just a passing mention of his multitude of relationships with beautiful women over the decades. And maybe some not so beautiful women as well.

Simmons: Demon God

Well it's not really type casting, but KISS' Gene Simmons will play the role of a "demon god of rock and roll" in a forthcoming Japanese movie being made by the producers of the original "Godzilla" movie. The movie, based on a comic book called "DMC," will be released exclusively in Japan this August.

R.I.P. Cliff Davies

Cliff Davies, who drummed on Ted Nugent's first six solo albums, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his suburban Atlanta home on Sunday. Friends reported the 59-year-old was distraught over medical bills, and the results of an autopsy are pending.

April 17, 2008

On this day in 1960, Rock & Roll pioneer Eddie Cochran was killed and Gene Vincent was seriously injured in a London car crash.

On this day in 1964, The Rolling Stones released their debut album, and the Ford Motor Company unveiled the first Mustang. Fortunately, both are still with us.

On this day in 1972, Keith Richards became a father to a little girl when Anita Pallenberg gave birth to their daughter, Dandelion.

On this day in 1982, Stevie Nicks' "Edge Of Seventeen" peaked at #11 as Van Halen's cover of "(Oh) Pretty Woman" topped out at #12 on the charts and Toto released "Rosanna."

On this day in 1998, Linda McCartney died (at 56) of breast cancer.

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Heart as well as more of Joe's conversation with Ann and Nancy Wilson.

John's Mini-Tour

John Mellencamp will do a month-long Summer tour in support of his forthcoming 23rd album "Life, Death, Love And Freedom." The tour begins on July 8th in Philadelphia, hits our Greek Theater on July 31st and is currently scheduled through an August 2nd gig in Berkeley. The album itself is due out on July 15th. Stay tuned for ticket info!

Time For A "Love" DVD/Not Heather

June 24th is the release date for "All Together Now," a DVD telling the story behind The Beatles-themed Las Vegas stage production "Love." The disc will of course include a documentary featuring Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr discussing the project. Let's just hope Heather Mills doesn't try to extract money or insert herself into this project. The ever-trustworthy British tabloids are reporting that Mills wants a home everywhere Sir Paulie has one, saying: "She's determined to carry on living the privileged life she had with Paul. Wherever Paul is, she wants to be there for daughter Beatrice. And Bea should have the same life with her as with Paul. Heather says that she wants the country house, one in London, one in New York, one in L.A., even one in the Hamptons." Will somebody please tell Mills that her 15 minutes were up a long time ago!

New/Old Bowie

Even considering all of the contractual problems David Bowie experienced in his early career, it sure took him long enough to release the forthcoming "David Bowie, Live Santa Monica '72"! The legendary October 20th gig at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium took place right in the heart of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust tour. His spot-on description of the gig: "I'm totally into being 'Ziggy' by this stage of our touring. It's no longer an act; I am him. This would be around the tenth American show for us and you can hear that we are all pretty high on ourselves. We train wreck a couple of things, I miss some words and sometimes you wouldn't know that pianist Mike Garson was onstage with us, but overall I really treasure this bootleg." The album will finally be out on June 30th.

Queen/Purple/Matinee

They never played together in real life, but on April 28th you can see Queen and Deep Purple in concert. In a true test of theatrical sound systems, the movie event showcasing Queen's famed 1981 Montreal concert and Deep Purple's 2006 40th Anniversary Montreux Jazz Festival set will be screened at various U.S. cinemas. That said, you may now return to your regularly scheduled life.

Joe Walsh: Alumni

Did you know that Joe Walsh attended Ohio's Kent State University from 1966 to 1968, leaving school to pursue fame and fortune with the James Gang? Over the years he's helped the school several times with things like a $25,000 endowment to Kent State's School of Music. In December 2001, they even awarded him an honorary doctorate of music for his successful career with the James Gang, the Eagles and as a solo artist. Now Joe is donating $50,000 to create a performance-based scholarship, which will be awarded as $10,000 scholarships over the next five years. Right so!

Charging Richie

Laguna Beach police have asked the district attorney to file a misdemeanor child endangerment charge against Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, who had two children in his car when he was arrested for investigation of drunken driving last month. Sambora was arrested without incident after failing a field sobriety test. He is scheduled to be arraigned on May 7th.

Naked vs. Nude

With this year's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach taking place this weekend, I thought we should clear this up once and for all. The words "naked" and "nude" are not the same. Naked implies unprotected. Nude means unclothed. Any questions? Try Googling it.

April 18, 2008

Doors/Janis Joplin producer Paul Rothchild would have been 73 today.

On this day in 1970, "The Letter" by Joe Cocker entered the charts as Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" peaked at #3 and Badfinger's "Come and Get It" topped out at #7 on the singles chart.

On this day in 1981, after recording 11 albums in 13 years, Yes announced they were splitting up. Within two years, they re-formed for the hugely successful "90125" album and tour.

On this day in 1988, Eric Clapton's "Crossroads" box set was released. Its overwhelming commercial and artistic success paved the way for many other artists' compilations — most of which were extremely inferior.

This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Heart as well as more of Joe's conversation with Ann and Nancy Wilson.

Def's Still Down

What's up with Joe Elliott's voice? Def Leppard postponed two more concerts because of their frontman's ongoing respiratory tract infection. The tour now is slated to resume Tuesday in Boise, Idaho. Hey Joe — get well soon!

Zep The Ride Is Zippity Doo Dah

The first reviews of Hard Rock Park's Led Zeppelin – The Ride are in. Thousands of people flocked to the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina theme park's "soft open" to try out some of the rides. The favorite seems to be the Zep-themed roller coaster. Our favorite review on MyrtleBeachOnline.com was, "I didn't puke and I didn't wet my pants, so I feel like I did good." Sounds like real life indeed! For more info, check out http://HardRockPark.com.

J.P. Finally Ready

Judas Priest will finally issue their much-anticipated, long-in-production concept album, "Nostradamus," on June 17th. The 23-song collection will feature eight instrumental interludes, as well as occasional orchestration and choirs singing. No word if they'll actually be singing "Hellbent For Leather," but they will be singing! And no, the orchestra will not be accompanying them on tour this Summer.

All Hail Sir George

The GRAMMY Foundation will honor famed Beatles producer George Martin at its annual Starry Night event on July 12th at the University of Southern California. Sir George will be presented with the Leadership Award in honor of his musical and philanthropic contributions.

Newport Folkies Festing

The Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island is pretty much the oldest and most respected Folk Music festival in the world. So who'll be headlining this year's event the first weekend of August? Jimmy Buffett, the Black Crowes and Jakob Dylan are among the top names — and they all play (albeit occasionally) acoustic guitars so they must be folk artists!

R.I.P. Federici

Danny Federici, one of the original members of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, lost his three-year battle with melanoma yesterday. After being visited by his bandmates the night before, the 58-year-old keyboardist passed away Thursday afternoon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Federici, who played with Springsteen in various groups since the late Sixties, dropped out of the E Street Band's U.S. tour in November to undergo treatment for the skin cancer. He made a final, special appearance in Indianapolis on March 20th. The Federici and E Street families request that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Danny Federici Melanoma Fund. Rest in peace.

Grand Prix!

This weekend: Just like he has every April since 1986, yer Uncle Joe will once again be part of the action at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. This year he'll kick things off with a Friday broadcast from Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company, followed by huge Saturday and Sunday Meet & Greets with the KLOS Cool Patrol. So stop by and say hi — and check out last year's photos!

April 19, 2008

On this day in 1968, John Lennon, George Harrison and their wives left the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in Rishikesh, India two weeks before their study was complete. Fellow Beatles Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney had actually split several days earlier.

On this day in 1969, Steppenwolf's "Rock Me" peaked at #10 on the singles chart.

On this day in 1974, guitarist Ron Wood played his first live show with The Rolling Stones.

On this day in 1975, Elton John fired his longtime bassist, Dee Murray, and drummer, Nigel Olsson, the day before his album "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" was released. A few years later, after he cleared his head, Sir Diva rehired the boys.

On this day in 1980, Van Halen's third album, "Women & Children First," blasted onto the charts.

On this day in 1980, Brian Johnson replaced the late Bon Scott as AC/DC's lead singer. Within two weeks, the band was recording their classic "Back In Black" album.

On this day in 1980, the Eagles' "I Can't Tell You Why" peaked at #8 on the singles chart.

April 20, 2008

Keyboardist Craig Frost, who worked with Detroit-based artists like Grand Funk and Bob Seger, is 59.

On this day in 1965, Eric Clapton joined John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.

On this day in 1966, The Beatles recorded the vocals for Paul McCartney's song "Eleanor Rigby" — none of the Fab Four played any instruments on the tune.

On this day in 1968, Deep Purple played their first concert ever. Denmark was the place, "Deaf in Denmark" was the result.

On this day in 1991, Small Faces/Humble Pie singer/guitarist Steve Marriott died in a fire at his home in London. He was just 44.