In an official statement released on Friday, June 26th Richie said (thru Live Nation Chicago):
Lionel Richie’s next two concerts are being postponed under the advisement of the singer’s medical team.
Under advisement by doctors to rest and return to full health, Lionel Richie has postponed his next two shows on Friday, June 26 in Chicago, IL, and Saturday, June 27 in Columbus, OH. He and Earth, Wind & Fire will return to the stage on Tuesday, June 30 in Pittsburgh, PA.
Lionel is heartbroken to postpone these two shows and cannot wait to be back performing for his fans. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes fans who have tickets for these two shows. Rescheduled dates will be announced soon.
We’ll let you know if and when these two postponed shows have been rescheduled. (kk)
Keith Richards is indicating that rather than do another exhausting world tour, The Stones may opt instead to do a couple of different residencies, allowing the fans to come to them. London and New York City are being bandied about … and the Stones would play an extended stay in each. Touring is just getting to be too grueling at this age … and locking down in one city for an extended stay would allow The Stones to play fresher for each performance.
Although nothing is expected to happen this year to help support their new “Foreign Tongues” album (due out July 10th), it sounds like they’re looking to set things up for 2027. (Mick has said that he would like to tour in support of the new LP … but this may be a happy compromise that the whole band can live with.)
More info as we get it. (kk)
The Rolling Stones aren’t the only ‘60’s artist to release a new video on Friday (June 26th) …
MICKY DOLENZ ANNOUNCES NEW EP TIMELESS, ARRIVING SEPTEMBER 4th ON FRIDAY MUSIC - First single "Terri," written by Paul Westerberg, arrives June 26th
This new six-song collection features songs by Paul Westerberg, Andy Partridge, Adam Schlesinger, Vicki Peterson, Sam Hollander, Shelby Lynne, Pete Donnelly, and Jonny Polonsky
Dolenz continues his 60 Years of The Monkees tour as the landmark television series approaches its 60th anniversary
PHOTO BY EMILY DOLENZ
Micky Dolenz, the celebrated vocalist, actor, director, producer and forever-beloved voice of The Monkees, has announced the release of his new EP, TIMELESS, arriving September 4, 2026 on Friday Music.
The announcement arrives as Dolenz continues his acclaimed MICKY DOLENZ CELEBRATES 60 YEARS OF THE MONKEES tour across the country, celebrating six decades of music, television, comedy and pop culture history. TIMELESS will be released just ahead of the 60th anniversary of the premiere of The Monkees television series, which debuted on NBC on September 12, 1966 and went on to become one of the most influential and enduring pop culture phenomena of the decade.
The first track from the EP, "Terri," will be released on June 26th. Written by Paul Westerberg, the song finds Dolenz bringing his unmistakable pop power, warmth and emotional clarity to a piece that feels both intimate and instantly classic.
The “Terri” single will be accompanied by an official music video, also premiering June 26th (see below). Filmed at the legendary Church Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and directed by John Hughes, the video captures Dolenz and his band in a loose, intimate performance setting that lets the song’s warmth and charm take center stage.
"Paul Westerberg wrote such a beautiful, heartfelt song with 'Terri,' and I'm very grateful I had the chance to sing it and bring my own little Micky twist to it," says Dolenz.
TIMELESS features six new songs that connect Dolenz with an extraordinary group of writers across generations of pop, rock and songcraft. In addition to Westerberg, the EP includes special contributions from Andy Partridge, Shelby Lynne, Pete Donnelly, Sam Hollander, Adam Schlesinger, Vicki Peterson, and Jonny Polonsky. The EP was produced by Sam Hollander (Gym Class Heroes, Katy Perry, Ringo Starr), John Hughes (The Monkees’ GOOD TIMES & CHRISTMAS PARTY), and Pete Donnelly (The Figgs, NRBQ).
The full track listing is:
1. Terri
2. Any Way You Want Me To
3. Something Happened
4. Waiting For Day
5. Where Do The Tears Come From
6. In The Center Of My Heart, Is A Force Commonly Known As Love
For Dolenz, TIMELESS is not simply a new studio project. It is a continuation of a musical life that began before The Monkees became a household name and has carried through six decades of recording, touring and reinvention.
Before becoming one of television and music's most recognizable figures, Dolenz first came to national attention as a child actor starring in the series *Circus Boy*. By the mid-1960s, he had already been playing guitar and singing in his own band, Micky and the All-Nighters, when he was cast as one of The Monkees alongside Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork.
What followed was a cultural explosion. The Monkees television series captured the energy, absurdity and restlessness of a new generation, while the records became a phenomenon of their own. Dolenz's voice helped define many of the group's most enduring songs, including "Last Train to Clarksville," "I'm a Believer," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "Randy Scouse Git" and many more.
The Monkees became one of the defining acts of the 1960s, earning critical and commercial success while bringing a new kind of speed, comedy and surreal visual language to television. Their influence continues to echo through music video, pop television, comedy and generations of fans who discovered the group in real time, through reruns, on records, and now through streaming.
Dolenz has never stopped moving forward. In addition to his work with The Monkees, he has enjoyed a wide-ranging solo career, appeared on stage and screen, directed and produced for television, performed in musical theater, and continued to record and tour to enthusiastic audiences around the world.
TIMELESS also arrives as Dolenz celebrates the 10th anniversary of GOOD TIMES!, the 2016 Monkees studio album that reunited the group with a remarkable cast of contemporary and classic songwriters. That album introduced new favorites including "Me & Magdalena," which has become one of the most beloved later-period Monkees recordings.
"With the 60th anniversary tour in full swing, I found myself surrounded again by these songs, these memories and these wonderful audiences," says Dolenz. "Then these terrific new songs came my way, and it just felt like the right moment to get back into the studio. I've always loved a great song, especially one that gives me a chance to get inside it, tell the story, and maybe have a little fun while I'm at it."
The June 26th release of "Terri" will be accompanied by a new performance video, with an additional video for "Waiting For Day" to follow.
On "Waiting For Day," Dolenz shares the spotlight with his sister and tourmate, Coco Dolenz, adding a rich vocal connection to one of the EP's moodier and more atmospheric tracks.
"Vicki Peterson gave us something wonderfully moody and melodic with 'Waiting For Day,' and singing it with Coco made it even more special," says Dolenz. "My thanks to everyone who helped make this one shine."
Keith Urban’s new Yacht Rock inspired album “Flow State” debuted at #7 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums Chart last week. It is the singer’s tenth Top Ten LP on the Pop Charts … and it’s virtually impossible to find!!!
Sounds like they never anticipated this type of sales … and didn’t press enough copies to meet the demand. We’re hearing new ship dates of mid-July to early August before cd’s will be available again!
Urban surprised his audience at the CMA Fest last week when he performed both “Steal Away” (the Robbie Dupree hit) and his duet with Michael McDonald (the only NEW track on the album, “We Go Back”), who joined him on stage to perform this new song live before a packed audience of country music fans. (It’s not a bad song … you can check it out here):
Billboard Magazine ran a list of every #1 Hit achieved during Clive Davis’ reign as the head of the various record labels he oversaw during his career. It really is quite an amazing list of accomplishments …
Songs EVERYBODY forgot?
EXCUSE ME! I know a blog full of people who will firmly state they NEVER forgot these songs.
Pick the year 1965 and I could find other recordings more likely to have fallen into the black mist of Forgotten Hits but the commentary on each one of these is well done. However, anyone who honestly states they have forgotten these songs (I'll allow you to agree with one ... maybe two selections AT MOST) never heard them in 1965 to begin with. Heck, my own children and grandchildren know all of them.
Shelley
15 Amazing Songs From 1965 Everyone Completely Forgot!
Yeah, I’ve looked at several of these lists over the years … and they’re quite ridiculous to say the least. (That being said, I can’t really say I miss the Patti Page tune … but I swear I hear “Like A Rolling Stone” nearly every single day!)
But the truth is, terrestrial oldies radio stations are evaporating quickly … thank god for internet stations like Rewound Radio, The True Oldies Channel, Me-TV-FM (which IS broadcast on the AM dial here in Chicago) and several other specialty programs dedicated to keeping this music alive. (SiriusXM, of course, still has their Decades Channels, offering non-stop hits from the ‘50’s, ‘60’s, ‘70’s and ‘80’s … so you can zero in on your favorites.) kk
Harvey Kubernik, who has already written an EXCELLENT book on Jimi Hendrix, just told us about this new one ...
NEW BIOGRAPHY EXPLORES HOW JIMI HENDRIX TRANSFORMED ROCK AND ROLL AND RECLAIMED ITS AMERICAN ROOTS
By Harvey Kubernik
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Sunbury Press has just published Electric Bluesman The Life and Times of Jimi Hendrix by Wylie Graham McLallen.
Electric Bluesman The Life and Times of Jimi Hendrix is a compelling new biography that traces the remarkable journey of one of the most influential musicians in modern history. From carrying a battered acoustic guitar through the streets of Seattle to becoming an international rock icon, Jimi Hendrix's rise to fame was anything but ordinary. Drawing on Hendrix's early experiences, musical influences, and groundbreaking innovations, Electric Bluesman examines how a self-taught guitarist from humble beginnings revolutionized popular music and forever changed the sound of rock and roll. Long before he captivated audiences around the world, Hendrix honed his craft on the Chitlin' Circuit, performing alongside and learning from blues legends such as B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf.
Those formative years immersed him in the traditions of American blues and laid the foundation for the distinctive style that would later electrify audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. When Hendrix arrived in London in 1966, he entered a music scene dominated by celebrated white British rock musicians. His explosive performances, technical mastery, and innovative use of guitar effects—including feedback, distortion, the wah pedal, fuzz face, and Octavia—astonished audiences and fellow musicians alike.
In doing so, Hendrix helped redefine rock music while reminding the world of the genre's deep roots in African American musical traditions. More than a biography of a legendary performer, Electric Bluesman: The Life and Times of Jimi Hendrix is the story of an artist who overcame poverty, racial barriers, and personal struggles to become one of the most influential guitarists of all time. It is also a celebration of the blues, the creative spirit, and the enduring power of music as a force for transformation.
Author Wylie Graham McLallen grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, where his family has deep historical roots. At the University of Tennessee, while obtaining a degree in History and English, he studied fiction and composition under a distinguished man of Southern Letters, Professor Robert Drake, who was a close friend of author Flannery O’Connor and was able to personally introduce his students to the poet and novelist James Dickey.
Wylie is the author of Tigers by the River, a history of the early years of professional football in America, and the two-volume literary history Unbridled Dreamer and A Man of Modern Letters: Hemingway and the Rise of Modern Literature. McLallen lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with his wife, Nickey Bayne.
McLallen has sourced anecdotes and information from existing books and articles on Hendrix, all properly cited. He did conduct revealing interviews with Jimi’s cousins, Henri Brown and Faith Hendrix. The author also showcased his own musical friends, Webster McDonald and Calvin Turley, who offered insights into Hendrix’s unique playing style.
One of the highlights in Wylie’s study was his interview with guitarist/songwriter and record producer, Steve Cropper, of Booker T. & the MG’s.
Earlier this decade, I spoke with Steve Cropper for a book my brother Kenneth and I wrote, Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child. I was intrigued when Steve mentioned to me a 1964 Memphis visit Jimi Hendrix (then James Marshall) had with him at the Stax Studio.
“At the time, I was filing records, logging tapes, and producing recording sessions. I was busy, we talked, I then went out to a local diner, met him, we had hamburgers, and he then told me he did the lead guitar introduction on Don Covay’s ‘Have Mercy.’ I was knocked out by that funky intro riff and had heard it earlier on the radio. He came to the Stax studio, and we jammed a bit.”
McLellan’s encounter with Cropper about Hendrix is further detailed in his book.
If you don't already have a copy, be sure to check out Harvey's book, "Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child," available thru Amazon.
