Rock
Charles Connor, Drummer for Little Richard, Dies at 86
“He was one of those drummers that was a bricklayer of creating that rock ‘n’ roll genre,” she said. “He played behind so many legendary musicians in the 1950s. He was a loving grandfather and was very proud of his family and took a lot of pride in his contributions to rock ‘n’ roll.” Connor began playing drums at age 12. Three years later, he started his professional career when Professor Longhair, a singer and pianist, hired him as a last-minute replacement for the 1950 Mardi Gras in New Orleans. After Connor turned 18, he joined Richard’s original road band, The Upsetters. The band appeared in several popular feature films including The Girl Can’t Help It with Jayne Mansfield along with Don’t Knock the Rock and Mr. Rock ‘n’ Roll. During his career, Connor toured ...
ZZ Top Plays First Concert Following the Death of Longtime Bassist Dusty Hill
Later in the concert, Gibbons added, “How about that Elwood? Tearing up that bottom there for Dusty.” ZZ Top announced in a statement on Wednesday (July 28) that Hill had died at age 72. “We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston,” the group wrote. “We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the ‘Top.’ We will forever be connected to that ‘Blues Shuffle in C.'” ZZ Top was on tour when it announced July 23 that Hill, who joined the band in 1970, was heading home “to address a hip issue.” Per the group’s Facebook page, Hill h...
Prince Estate Sells Nearly Half of Rights to Name and Likeness, Masters, and Publishing
Following in the footsteps of legacy artists like the Beach Boys, Prince’s estate has sold a controlling stake in the rights to the late artist’s intellectual property. As reported by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the three youngest of Prince’s six siblings have each reached agreements with independent music publisher and talent management company Primary Wave for their inheritance in the estate. Last month, Primary Wave bought 100 percent of his youngest sibling Omarr Baker’s interest in the estate after previously purchasing 90 percent of Tyka Nelson’s stake and 100 percent of the late Alfred Jackson’s inheritance. Per Rolling Stone, this intellectual property includes Prince’s name and likeness, royalties from his masters, and publishing rights, as well as his renowned Paisley...
A Timeline of Abuse Allegations Against Marilyn Manson
Billboard made earlier attempts to reach Manson for comment through his now former management, but has not received any responses. Following Wood’s statement, a number of other women went public with their own claims against Manson, but his history with abuse allegations stems back nearly 25 years. See below for a full timeline. February 1998 – The Long Hard Road Out of Hell Manson’s autobiography featured a number of anecdotes, which Chicago Reader critic Jim Derogatis called out at the time for “generally mistreating one or more women per page.” In a particularly gruesome chapter, “Meating the Fans / Meat and Greet,” Manson recalled a deaf fan who got covered in raw meat and had sex with a number of band members before getting urinated on b...
Sublime’s Bud Gaugh Says He’s the Reason Travis Barker Joined Blink-182
When it comes to Travis Barker’s role in Blink-182, fans can thank Sublime drummer Bud Gaugh. At least that’s the story told by Gaugh, who sat down this week for Consequence’s Peer 2 Peer interview series with comedian Ian Karmel to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sublime’s self-titled debut album. Barker is working on a remix album of Sublime, and when Karmel asked Gaugh about the project, the drummer opened with “a little back story on Travis.” “We were out on this SnoCore Tour as Long Beach Dub All-Stars. And we were playing with Blink-182, and this band The Aquabats from Utah,” Gaugh recalls. “And Travis was actually playing drums for The Aquabats. And Opie [Ortiz] and I were sitting there on the side of the stage watching The Aquabats play, and Travis was just ripping. It’s lik...
Mark Hoppus’ ‘Cancer Is Disappearing,’ Says Former Blink-182 Bandmate Tom DeLonge
DeLonge’s update continued: “Cancer is disappearing! But, he still has more chemo to do. As tough as it is, IT IS working! Mark is a real life superhero.” Hoppus recently said he was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. According to the Lymphoma Research Foundation, DLBCL is the “most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in the United States and worldwide, accounting for about 22 percent of newly diagnosed cases of B-cell NHL in the United States.” When Hoppus first revealed his cancer diagnosis in June, DeLonge shared more words of support, tweeting, “He is strong, and a super-human who is pushing through this difficult obstacle with a wide-open heart. #WeHaveHisBack.” On July 19, Hoppus had the “best possible news” to sh...
Slipknot Share Tribute Video After Joey Jordison’s Death: ‘Without Him There Would Be No Us’
Jordison’s family confirmed the news of his death on Tuesday (July 27). “We are heartbroken to share the news that Joey Jordison, prolific drummer, musician and artist passed away peacefully in his sleep,” they said in a statement. Jordison’s cause of death has not been reported. His family said they “will hold a private funeral service and asks the media and public to respect their wishes.” Jordison formed Slipknot in 1995 along with Shawn Crahan and Paul Gray, and he performed with the band through 2013, when it was announced that the group would be “parting ways” with him. Before his departure, Slipknot earned three top 10s on the Billboard 200, including one No. 1 with All Hope Is Gone (Sept. 13, 2008), an album that also ruled the T...
Miley Cyrus Calls Lollapalooza ‘Light at the End Of the Tunnel’: 5 Best Moments From Her Set
Opening night headliner Miley Cyrus perhaps said it best when she referenced a lyric from “Malibu” — “Hoping I just stay the same and nothing will change” — after performing the track. “The reason why that wish is outlandish and ridiculous is because everything will change — it’s inevitable,” she told the densely packed crowd at the south end of Grant Park. “And I think it was a very humbling experience for all of us to be humanized together and experience the last year and a half, where we were all experiencing the pain of being disconnected, and I think we remembered the value of having one another in our lives. And I think the masks reminded us how much a stranger’s smile could really mean to us, because sometimes, we take that s— for granted.” The star continued to sh...
Foo Fighters’ ‘Hail Satin’ Leads Record Store Day 2021 Second Drop as Vinyl Sales Jump 75%
Among the albums initially released for Record Store Day 2021’s second drop, aside from Hail Satin, were the vinyl release of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Deja Vu: Alternates (alternative versions of songs from the group’s 1970 Billboard 200 No. 1 album Deja Vu), a clear vinyl pressing of Beastie Boys’ 1995 rock album Aglio e Olio, and the vinyl debut of Amy Winehouse’s Remixes (on double LP – one blue, one yellow). Meanwhile, Pearl Jam issued its classic single “Alive” on both 12-inch vinyl and cassette, along with rare B-sides, and was the top-selling RSD single release of the week. “Alive” was the band’s first single to chart on a Billboard tally, debuting on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart dated Jan. 4, 1992. It would peak at No. 16 on that chart, and also at No. 18 on Alt...
How Foo Fighters’ ‘My Hero’ Influenced ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 2
Among his favorite recurring sketches are what the comedian-actor calls “bar songs,” which involve “four guys sitting around listening to a song.” “The first one I did was an idea that I’d had to ‘Danny’s Song’ by Loggins and Messina,” Sudeikis recounted. “Especially when it’s something that went verse into the chorus, verse into the chorus, you would tell a story joke during the verse, and then everybody comes into the chorus and sings the chorus. Then you go, ‘Oh, you know, this song reminds me of this, this song reminds me of that and then you go into that.’ “ The sketch Sudeikis references appeared in a 2007 episode of SNL featuring the comedian along with Will Forte, Bill Hader and guest host Rainn Wilson sharing memories about their lives that quickly went from sentimental to bizarre...
Young Thug Taps Inner Rock Star with ‘Tiny Desk’ Performance
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Rich Fury / Getty Young Thug has always claimed his Rock star status, but with his recent performance for ‘Tiny Desk’ fans got to see the status turn to reality. Joined by a full band, performing in front of the gardens of the Houdini Estate in Los Angeles, Thugger played a set of new songs: “Die Slow,” “Droppin Jewels,” “Hate the Game,” and “Tick Tock.” For the last song, the band was joined by legendary Blink182 drummer, Travis Barker, to perform an alternative “Ski.” Earlier this year, Young Thug released Slime Language 2—a new collection of music featuring Gunna and the Young Stoner Life collective. For the last decade, the world of rap has lived, learned and been liberated while under the influence of Young Thug. His contorted cadence, visionary fash...
John Mayer’s ‘Sob Rock’ Rules at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales Chart
Sob Rock is Mayer’s fifth No. 1 on Top Album Sales and 11th top 10 overall. He’s also led the tally with The Search for Everything: Wave One (2017), Born and Raised (2012), Battle Studies (2009) and Heavier Things (2003). Of Sob Rock’s debut sales of 61,000, physical album sales comprise 39,000 of that figure (23,000 vinyl LPs, 15,000 CDs and a little over 1,000 cassettes), while digital album sales comprise 22,000. (The album’s cassette was exclusively sold via Mayer’s official webstore.) Dee Gees, aka Foo Fighters, debut at No. 2 with Hail Satin, selling 15,000 copies. Of that sum, 12,000 came from its vinyl LP release for Record Store Day’s second drop (July 17), while another 3,000 were sold via digital download (released on July 19). The first five tracks on the 10-song album a...
