Billboard handicaps the latest batch of Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Nominees …
What are the odds of each artist getting into The Hall?
Current leaders (with just a few days of voting on the books) include Phish (by a wide margin), Billy Idol, Soundgarden, Cyndi Lauper, Joe Cocker, Bad Company and Chubby Checker, all with over 30,000 votes thus far. (Phish has over 60,000) But it's early and as we've seen, things can change. (kk)
Third time’s the charm …
Paul McCartney performed a THIRD show at New York City’s Bowery Club Friday Night. A little more shuffling was done with the set list (including his 1980 “McCartney II” solo track “Temporary Secretary.”)
This time, tickets sold out in half an hour. (The rest of us will have to watch him perform as part of NBC’s VERY special SNL Weekend.) kk
Speaking of which, Billboard Magazine counts down their favorite SNL Musical Shorts …
https://www.billboard.com/lists/snl-songs-best-saturday-night-live-music/hotline-bling-parody/#recipient_hashed=fa7e92da6f6e66bffcf0bcbf863670c6eb37d7159eb4d0ea1e44fecd5ec87eeb&recipient_salt=3a1d6b09af3b92ad7e38f8327cf18febeb049fd1c9a251b66957a07d9375735c&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exacttarget&utm_campaign=billboard_daily&utm_content=586777_02-13-2025&utm_term=6338564(C'mon ... you already know what #1 is!!!) kk
Great week for our FH Buddy Mark Bego, biographer of the rock stars …
With Joe Cocker’s nomination into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announcement this week, Bego’s most recent book, “Joe Cocker: With A Lot Of Help From His Friends” is going thru a whole new relaunch. (Mark gave us a couple of copies of his book to give away to a few lucky Forgotten Hits Readers when it first came out.)
JOE COCKER RECEIVES ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME NOMINATION; YORKSHIRE PUBLISHING RELAUNCHES THEIR BIOGRAPHY WRITTEN BY MARK BEGO: JOE COCKER WITH A LOT OF HELP FROM HIS FRIENDS
New York (2/12/25): When celebrity-biographer MARK BEGO began to work on his JOE COCKER biography – With a Lot of Help from His Friends (Yorkshire Publishing) – he was surprised to learn that Cocker was not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
That all changed this morning when the Hall announced their nominees – front and center was JOE COCKER.
Says Bego upon learning of the nomination:
“Joe Cocker left us with an amazing body of recorded work, and finally the time has come for him to be honored for a true rock & roll life dramatically lived. When my book was originally released, I was very verbal about my shock that he was not yet in The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I am happy to think that my book Joe Cocker: With a Lot of Help from His Friends has helped to usher him into this well-deserved induction."
With an introduction written by fellow-Woodstock participant Melanie, Bego penned the remarkable tome which described Cocker’s rise to national prominence. The book traced Joe's career development from his childhood in Sheffield, England, to performing for Queen Elizabeth II, and beyond.
Says Bego: “During his career, some of the most fascinating songs that Joe recorded were written by The Beatles. He did nine different renditions of Beatles’ songs during his career, from his first No. 1 hit 'With A Little Help from My Friends,' to the song ‘Come Together,’ which he sang in Julie Taymor’s powerful 2007 film Across the Universe. Just for the record, my favorite Cocker recording of a Beatles tune is his 1991 version of 'You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away,' which I discovered during my research. If you haven’t heard it, check it out, it is a real Cocker gem.”
Roger Friedman of Showbiz 411 said of the nomination: “The other legacy nominee is Joe Cocker, who should absolutely be inducted. Cocker is responsible for key rock records; his gravelly voice is also one of the hallmarks of rock & roll."
The BBC also praised the nomination by declaring Cocker “The mad dog with soul.”
Bego said to Goldmine Magazine: “Quite simply, Joe Cocker is one of the most original, beloved, emotional and passionate singers in the history of rock & roll. His unconventional singing style, sound and performances are often breathtaking to behold. Thanks to his many recordings, his music will live on.”
Yorkshire Publishing, who released the book in November/2023, said that they’d be re-launching the book which received widespread media attention and several stellar reviews.
And that’s not the only Mark Bego news we have to share with you today …
MARK BEGO’S INSIDE THE YMCA
How in the world did President-elect Donald Trump become a Village People fan? That’s what author Mark Bego has asked himself. In 1978, Bego was the very first journalist to interview The Village People, and in 2008 he wrote the book “Macho Man” with the group’s original cowboy, Randy Jones. The all-male costume-clad sextet, which began mainly as a gay disco novelty act, was created by producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo.
Bego first met Jones when he was the Head Publicist for “Billboard” magazine’s first disco Forum in 1976. At the time, Randy was a featured dancer in singer Grace Jones’ stage act. Now, with “Y.M.C.A.” a Number One record again on “Billboard’s” Dance Chart, thanks to having been performed at last month’s Presidential inauguration, the group is making a global impact. Unsurprisingly, Bego has been in discussion with publishers regarding an updated version of his book.
More Mick …
https://zrockr.com/2025/02/10/micky-dolenz-2025/
(Mark Bego cowrote Micky’s biography a few years back) kk
David Salidor has been a long-time Forgotten Hits collaborator and contributor. (In fact, he reps both Mark Bego AND Micky Dolenz!!!) Over the years, we’ve done a number of special promotion giveaways (books, cd’s, concert tickets, etc.) and as he celebrates his 41 years in the business, he’s now putting all of those experiences down in a book that will be published later this year. (Over the years, David has worked with Madonna and Debbie Gibson … The Moody Blues and Run DMC … Al Green and many more.
For just a brief look back at his career, check out this article/interview …
And David, when the book is finally ready to come out, make
sure WE get a copy …
I can’t wait to read it! (kk)
I don't know about any other venue, but the Billy Joel tickets at Mohegan Sun presale last year (for this performance) started at $400 each, going to $1,000. After the presale, they hiked up to $600-$3,000. Hope somebody can afford to see him.
Shelley
We watched the new Questlove Sly and the Family Stone documentary Friday night … EXTREMELY well done and highly recommended.
(We’ve been waiting for this one for a while now, especially after other planned documentaries fell thru for one reason or another over the years.)
Yes, there was much more story that could have been told (and a couple of instances seemed rather glossed over … the riot here in Chicago when Sly failed to show up for his gig at Grant Park … although Stewart still maintains that he was here but prevented from taking the stage.)
You can read more about that in our FH article from 2020 …
It comes from another one of our special Calendar Look Backs, this time saluting July 27th of 1970 … at the time, exactly FIFTY YEARS AGO TODAY …
https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2020/07/july-27th-1970.html
kk …
Cousin Brucie Is Interviewing Connie Francis this Saturday night (2/15) -- I Hope They Talk About Bobby Darin.
REPORTING FROM LAST WEEK'S COUSIN BRUCIE’S ROCK & ROLL PARTY …
Cousin Brucie Interviewed Rick Derringer …
The McCoys = The Name Came From Venture's Album Cut "THE McCOY"
They Had A Group Name And A Theme Song.
Next - Where Did "HANG ON SLOOPY" Come From?
Bert Berns, Who Wrote The Song – He Lived In A Foreign Country For A While -- Said
They Called Young Ladies Sloopys.
The McCoys Also Covered "FEVER" & "COME ON LETS GO."
"ROCK & ROLL HOOCHIE KOO" Was A Big Hit For Rick Derringer Solo.
Cousin Brucie Said He Belongs In Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
I Don't Agree With Him.
FB
“The McCoy” was the flipside on the original pressings of “Walk Don’t Run,” The Ventures’ first hit. (That was the B-Side on the copy of the 45 that I bought way back when!)
Derringer also spent some time as part of The Edgar Winter Group … and played the lead guitar solo on the Weird Al Yankovic version of “Eat It,” the Michael Jackson “Beat It” parody.
Great guitarist, yes … Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Material … not so much. (kk)
Clark Besch sent in this, from just before The Ides Of March decided to call it a day …
It comes from the program of a 1973 Iowa State University concert.
Even Ides leader Jim Peterik had never seen this photo montage before!
Omg Clark. I’ve never seen these!
Were you there?! Did you take these? Blonde Dual Showman amps and all. I think we are doing our ‘50’s send up here. Fun!
Rock on!!
Jimbo
Of course, The Ides are still going strong today, some 50+ years later (regrouping after Jim Peterik cofounded Survivor, who had their own string of hits)
Speaking of Survivor, if you've been watching the excellent new Hulu series "Paradise" (starring Sterling K. Brown), you got to hear "Eye Of The Tiger" close this week's episode in fine fashion ... and it wasn't even Survivor's version!
If you haven't seen this show, you owe it to yourself to check it out ... VERY well done. (kk)
Jeff Lynne’s ELO will make their final five appearances this July in the UK. Dhani Harrison will open the show for all five dates … two each in Birmingham at the Utilita Arena and in Manchester at Co-Op Live before a final send off on July 13th at London’s Hyde Park, with special guests The Doobie Brothers and Steve Winwood joining in on the celebration. (We saw Dhani when he opened for Jeff’s 2019 tour here in The States … and were fortunate enough to catch both The Doobies AND Steve Winwood last year when they performed here in Tinley Park!)
Jeff’s Hyde Park appearance in 2014 was filmed for home video release … and it was an outstanding launch to his career back on the road. (Catch it if you can … you will NOT be disappointed.)
The Electric Light Orchestra Hit List is an impressive one …
1972 – 10538 Overture (US – xx / UK – 9)
1973 – Roll Over Beethoven (US – 31 / UK – 4)
1974 – Showdown (US – 51 / UK – 12)
1974 – Ma-Ma-Ma-Belle (US - 102 / UK – 22)
1975 – Can’t Get It Out Of My Head (US – 9 / UK – xx)
1975 – Evil Woman (US – 9 / UK – 10)
1976 – Strange Magic (US – 14 / UK – 38)
1976 – Livin’ Thing (US – 10 / UK – 4)
1977 – Rockaria! (US - xx / UK – 9)
1977 – Do Ya (US – 16 / UK – xx)
1977 – Telephone Line (US – 4 / UK – 8)
1977 – Turn To Stone (US – 9 / UK – 18)
1978 – Sweet Talkin’ Woman (US – 17 / UK – 6)
1978 – Wild West Hero (US - xx / UK – 6)
1978 – Mr. Blue Sky (US – 27 / UK – 6)
1979 – Shine A Little Love (US – 7 / UK – 6)
1979 – The Diary Of Horace Wimp (US – xx / UK – 8)
1979 – Don’t Bring Me Down (US – 3 / UK – 3
1979 – Confusion (US – 37 / UK – 8)
1980 – Last Train To London (US – 36 / UK – 8)
1980 – I’m Alive (US – 14 / UK – 20)
1980 – All Over The World (US – 8 / UK – 11)
1980 – Xanadu (with Olivia Newton-John) US – 4 / UK – 1)
1980 – Don’t Walk Away (US - xx / UK – 21)
1981 – Hold on Tight (US – 8 / UK – 4)
1981 -Twilight (US – 38 / UK – 30)
1981 – Ticket To The Moon / Here Is The News (US – xx / UK – 24)
1983 – Rock And Roll Is King (US – 11 / UK – 13)
1986 – Calling America (US – 18 / UK – 28)
ELO also placed 22 tracks on our list of THE TOP 3333 MOST-ESSENTIAL CLASSIC ROCK SONGS OF ALL TIME,
thirteen of which made The Top 1000, led by “Don’t Bring Me Down” (#104), “Mr.
Blue Sky” (#332), “Evil Woman” (#338), “Strange Magic” (#514), “Do Ya” (#558),
“Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” (#578),
“Sweet Talkin’ Woman” (#608), “Telephone Line” (#619), “Hold On Tight (#734),
“Showdown” (#755), “Livin’ Thing” (#814), “All Over The World” (#874) and “Turn
TO Stone” (#987)
Lynne also made quite a name for himself producing hit records for George Harrison, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison (with whom he formed The Traveling Wilburys) as well as working with Paul McCartney and on the new Beatles’ “Anthology” tracks …
speaking of which …
Have you seen this new video regarding THE MAKING of NOW AND THEN?
When you hear the whole evolution of this song, it really hits home –
There’s nothing more powerful than hearing John’s original isolated vocal at about seven minutes into the track … it’s really quite moving
And then to see the incredible video that Peter Jackson put together, collecting footage of The Beatles … "now and then" … and syncing it all together just shows you how remarkable today’s technology has become.
The new Paul McCartney “Legacy” book shows how close all four Beatles stayed in touch with each other after the ultimately permanent separation. Several individual get-togethers happened along the way … one has to remember that these four gentlemen shared one common experience that no one else on earth can possibly relate to. When even the most normal, everyday, average friends and family get together, a good chunk of the time is reminiscing about “back in the day” … remember when THIS happened … Oh my God, I had forgotten all about THAT!” sort of thing.
One can only imagine the memories that the four Beatles were able to share after so many years.
And yet the sad fact is that all four of them NEVER sat together in the same room again after the split. You might get three … but you never got all four. And even when they worked together, it was often via tape … Paul would record his part on this continent and Ringo would add his part from somewhere halfway around the world.
So sad that they couldn’t ALL collectively put together “Anthology” … and recorded something NEW together. Once John Lennon was killed, the only option left was to take existing recordings that John had made as home demos, clean them up as best they could and then add their own bits here and there to make it sound like a Beatles record.
They succeeded three times: “Free As A Bird,” “Real Love” and “Now And Then.” You get to hear the essence of The Beatles "TODAY" (meaning ANYTHING past 1970), even if John’s vocals were recorded four or five decades ago.
I understand their fear and concern of AI and what it might do to their music as it’s being heard by future generations … it’s scary, in a way, to think that these tracks can now be manipulated into sounding like something else.
But the truth of the matter is, there is nothing wrong with the music the way it was originally laid down. Simply put, it changed the world!!! There’s no need to mess with it. The music of The Beatles has stood the test of time … and will still be here long after the rest of us are gone. (kk)
UPDATE: Dhani Harrison and Sean Lennon have been pushing to do new remixes of all three tracks recorded by "The Threetles" using the updated technology created by Peter Jackson (and probably a little bit of AI) to clean these up for re-release as a four song EP that would also include "Grow Old With Me," which Yoko gave Paul, George and Ringo before the Anthology project started (and was supposed to be on Anthology 3) but was never finished. Too much background noise and interference.
But now with the ability to isolate vocals and instruments (and add NEW vocals and instruments by Paul and Ringo ... plus any guitar bits that George may have recorded back when they were first considering doing this song) might make for an interesting 4-song EP/CD (meaning the much-hyped "Last Beatles Recording" of "Now And Then" would be eclipsed by this new release. (It sounds like they've already talkd to Jackson and Producer Giles Martin ... and even Jeff Lynne might be involved since he produced the original released recordings of "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" back in the late-90's/early 2000's.)
More info here (although much of it at this point seems to be speculation than reality):
https://bestclassicbands.com/beatles-reunion-ai-2-4-25/
Lots of talk about last week being the anniversary of the release of the classic Carole King album "Tapestry" ...
Carole King’s ‘Tapestry’ Released 54 Years Ago Today, Singer Says She Duped Everyone With Her Speed
https://americansongwriter.com/carole-kings-tapestry-released-54-years-ago-today-singer-says-she-duped-everyone-with-her-speed/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FAmericanSong
Carole King's "Tapestry" Released this week in 1971 (I wrote the liner notes for the 2008 Deluxe Edition CD)
>>>Also on 2/14, Fred Lorenzen wins the 7th Daytona 500. The race ends early (lap 133) due to persistent rain (kk)
And the Pix just keep on comin'!!!
Jim Roup continues to fill our pages with one-of-a-kind shots from his own Celebrity Photo Album ...
Happy Birthday 🎉🎂! to Sheryl Crow! Seen here holding her ASCAP award at The Beverly Wilshire Hotel event.
Happy Birthday 🎈 🎂 to Robert Wagner, 95, seen here with wife Jill St. John in Beverly Hills.
Also Happy Birthday 🎈 🎂 to Laura Dern, taking in a ZZ Top show with Dusty Hill at House of Blues.
Vince Neil of Motley Crue I see is in the news.
Here is a photo of him (and wife at the time?) at a Beverly Hills event.
Keep up the good work! You do a great job! 👍!!!!
Regards,
Jim
From Chuck Buell ...
Amen to that! (kk)
KILLER CONCERT REVIEW
Kent,
So how ironic is it that the very day that I have been waiting for months for (actually 50 years), you have a review on your site of a Burton Cummings concert in Nashville from February 2nd.
Knowing that you and Forgotten Hits are huge Cummings fans, I had been planning to write a review of this show I'm seeing for several weeks. So a little of the wind was taken out of my sails when I read Ed's review, but I decided to forge on anyway, mainly because this show meant so much to me. This review will be slightly different because he did not play "Louie Louie," so I cannot comment on that song, but I will enthusiastically. talk about the rest of the songs he did play.
The reason I say I have been waiting 50 years is because the only other time I have seen Burton in concert was July of 1975 in St. Petersburg when this 20 year old kid saw his band The Guess Who. They were touring behind “Power In The Music,” which turned out to be their final album and tour with the original band. I was told that he opened for America a year later in Lakeland, but I missed that show ... so to the best of my knowledge, he has not played the Tampa Bay area since.
Burton Cummings has always been one of my favorite singers and there were a few times when I considered traveling to the northern states or even Canada to catch a show, but it never happened. So, the big day (February 7) was finally here and me and my girlfriend Alice were off to see the show at the beautiful Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Fl. I say beautiful because in 2024, Ruth Eckerd Hall won the Theatre of the Year award from the International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA). There's my plug for them as I have seen many shows since the place was built in the 1980s.
A sold out crowd of 2,130 cheering fans were greeted by Jim Messina and his band as they hit the stage at promptly 8:00. A really nice 45 minute show of eight Loggins and Messina tunes, starting off with "Watching The River Run." Interestingly, the next two songs he played were Kenny Loggins-written songs, "House At Pooh Corner" and "Danny's Song." I'm guessing he knew that's what the crowd wanted to hear, so that is what he gave them. He voice sounded similar to Loggins (at least at this show) so I am sure a lot of the audience didn't know or didn't care; they were just happy (along with me) to hear those timeless tunes once again. The biggest crowd cheer was for "Your Mama Don't Dance" and most of the patrons were joyously singing along. The four musicians that accompanied him had the songs down pat and sounded great … (especially on the closing number "Angry Eyes") … but let's face it, the audience was looking forward to Burton Cummings.
At 9:10 Burton’s band hit the stage and immediately broke into the intro to "Bus Rider." Cummings walked out to the front of the stage, waved to a huge reception from his adoring public and seated himself behind his electric piano, which was front and center. AND THEN WE HEARD THAT MAGIC VOICE!!! Oh my God, IT SOUNDED JUST LIKE THE VOICE ON THOSE GREAT RECORDS! I kid you not, in my opinion he has not lost a thing voice-wise. That was my main concern going in and I could not have been happier!
Three things that made this show even more memorable: one, of course, was his powerful singing; two was the very entertaining way he communicated with the crowd between songs. He told many great stories about the Guess Who days and how some of the songs were written. For instance, before one song he was reminiscing about how Randy Bachman (remember him) and he were at his grandmother's house in Winnipeg and they were bouncing ideas off of each other and after about 30 minutes they came up with THIS tune. And then he hit the opening notes to "These Eyes" … and I do not exaggerate, the audience went ballistic! The third thing that really impressed me was the respect he showed for every one of the songs he played. Let's face it, he has probably played these songs thousands of times, but he knows these are the tunes the audience wanted to hear and he played them the way we wanted to hear them. OUTSTANDING!
Almost all the songs were Guess Who classics … "Clap For The Wolfman," "Hand Me Down World," (he did a shout-out to the late great Kurt Winter), "Laughing" and many others. During "Undun," he commented that he really can't play the flute that well but since it was only eight bars in the middle of the song, he could do that. And besides, he said, "It was just a great Randy Bachman song."
He played two cover tunes: J.J. Cale’s "Trouble In The City" and Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." He said that they are two of his personal favorites. And, of course, he played his biggest personal hit song, "Stand Tall." And yes, he hit the high notes!
Of course, he couldn't leave out the Guess Who's biggest hit "American Woman." He started the song off with probably a six or seven minute extended intro during which he incorporated the Doors’ song "Roadhouse Blues" into it and opened up his shirt to show he was wearing a Doors T-shirt underneath. And then came the main part of the song with both of his guitarists, Michael Zweig and Tim Bovaconti, ripping off guitar solos that would make Lenny Kravitz proud. Time for "No Sugar Tonight" combined with "New Mother Nature" with another great story which I have since forgotten, and then Burton strapped on a guitar for the first time and made it a three-guitar attack with an electrifying version of "No Time." The band headed off the stage but wait … the show is not done. Back in their places with Burton behind the piano, he thanked the crowd profusely (AGAIN) for remembering him throughout all the years since the 1970s and once again coming out to the show and he left us with "Share The Land." And then it was over!
I have probably seen well over a thousand concerts since 1969 and I have become a little cynical about many shows, but let me say this ...
THIS WAS AS GOOD AS ANY SHOW THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN and I do not say that lightly. If you are a Guess Who fan … and especially if you are a Burton Cummings fan … you NEED to see him in concert. Forget about that other band calling themselves The Guess Who (and yes, Cummings made mention of them a couple of times) THIS IS THE BAND YOU NEED TO SEE! Enjoy the photos taken by my girlfriend Alice.
Rich Turner
Largo, Florida
GREAT review, Rich! I have to believe Burton is enjoying this tour as much or more than any others, now that the Guess Who name is back where it really belongs, shared between him and Randy Bachman.
And be sure to tell Alice that she got some great pics. I can’t run them all, but they’re all outstanding! (kk)
Jim Messina
Burton Cummings
Four emails later, I got this link from Tom Cuddy …
The “official” review of the same show Rich saw that appeared in The Suncoast Post …
https://www.suncoastpost.com/music/guess-who-came-to-ruth-eckerd-hall-burton-cummings/
I’ve gotta tell you, they BOTH describe an outstanding show …
But I’ve gotta give this one to Rich …
The pure excitement that he conveys in seeing one of his rock and roll heroes again after all this time cannot be denied …
And that's exactly how a great rock and roll show is SUPPOSED to make you feel.
He brings it home in spades!
Thanks, Rich, for a GREAT review and some great pics!
Be sure to catch Burton in concert on his latest tour if you can …
Sounds like you are in for one hell of a night of rock and
roll music! (kk)
