OZZY: Never Forgets
Ozzy Osbourne has once again paid tribute to his guitarist Randy Rhoads, this time on the 43rd anniversary Wednesday (yesterday) of Randy's death. He writes on his socials: "Randy Rhoads was quite possibly the best composer and musician that I have ever met in my life. He came into my life like a bolt of lightning and as such he was gone again. I consider myself one of the luckiest men alive to have not only met him but also I had the great honor of being able to work with him. I will cherish the time I spent with him till the day I die. LONG LIVE RANDY RHOADS. LONG LIVE ROCK N ROLL. I LOVE YOU ALL."
On March 19th, 1982, the day after he played what turned out to be his last show with Ozzy in Knoxville, Tennessee, Rhoads was a passenger in a small plane that failed to regain height while buzzing Ozzy's tour bus, crashing into the garage of a home nearby in Leesburg, Florida.
It was being piloted, without permission, by Ozzy's tour bus driver and private pilot Andrew Aycock. There is speculation that Aycock, who had been doing cocaine the night before the crash, may have attempted to crash the plane into his estranged wife outside the bus when one of the wings clipped the top of the bus sending the plane spiraling out of control. Rhoads was killed instantly.
Ozzy's official statement to crash investigators was: "At approximately 9:00 a.m. on Friday, March 19th, 1982, I was awoken from my sleep by a loud explosion. I immediately thought that we'd hit a vehicle on the road. I got out of the bed, screaming to my fiancée, Sharon, 'Get off the bus.' Meanwhile, she was screaming to everyone else to get off the bus. After getting out of the bus, I saw that a plane had crashed. I didn't know who was on the plane at the time. When we realized that our people were on the plane, I found it very difficult to get assistance from anyone to help. In fact, it took almost a half-hour before anyone arrived. One small fire engine arrived, that appeared to squirt three gallons of water over the inferno. We asked for further assistance, such as telephones, and didn't receive any further help. In the end, we finally found a telephone and Sharon phoned her father [Ozzy and Black Sabbath manager Don Arden]." Ironically, Rhoads was afraid to fly, but he wanted to take some aerial photos of the countryside for his mother. He tried to get bassist Rudy Sarzo to accompany him, but he wanted to get some extra sleep.
Rhoads was a founding member of Quiet Riot and co-wrote songs for and played on Ozzy's first two albums -- Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. Just 25 years old, Rhoads was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, honored with the Musical Excellence award.
QUEEN: Never Say Never
Brian May says new music from Queen "could happen.” This comes from an interview he did for Mojo magazine, in which he adds, "Both Roger [Taylor] and I are constantly writing and coming up with ideas and doing things in our studios. I could have the beginnings of a Queen song right there in front of me now. It’s just whether the idea reaches maturity or not. It’s whether that seed can grow.”
Queen's last studio album with Freddie Mercury was 1991's Innuendo. Then after his death they cobbled together Made in Heaven in 1995. When they regrouped with Paul Rodgers, they released The Cosmos Rocks in 2008. In 2019 while on tour, May, Taylor and Adam Lambert
went into a studio, but in 2021, Taylor told Mojo magazine that "Brian suddenly lost interest and I don’t really know why. We started it in Nashville when we were all quite tired. We couldn’t decide on a title, and the lyric felt a little too negative for Queen, maybe. But it was pretty damn good, and I hope it comes to light.” The only album they released with Lambert fronting the band was 2020's Live Around the World, and at that time, they spoke to us about recording new music.
Roger Taylor: "I think one, we would need a couple of one or two killer songs. But I think it is a great idea given those songs.”
Adam Lambert: "It's trickier than it actually sounds. ’Cause it’s like, what is it called? Is that Queen? Is that still what we're billing the tour as? Is it some new super group name?”
Brian May: “I think if the moment arrives. That’s the only answer you can give really. If a moment came [where] we thought, ‘Yes, we need to do this for this occasion.’ And here’s the song and here we are.”
GUNS N' ROSES: Drummer Bows Out
Guns n' Roses have announced that drummer Frank Ferrer has left the group. Ferrer was the longest-serving drummer in the group's history, starting with the Axl Rose-led lineup back in 2006. His last gig with the Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan lineup was November 5th, 2023 in Mexico. The band says that it was an "amicable exit" and that they thank Ferrer "for his friendship, creativity, and sturdy presence over the past 19 years, and they wish him success in the next chapter of his musical journey." The departure is a bit of surprise as Ferrer posted on his Instagram back in December about being excited for GnR's 2025 tour, which starts May 23rd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and continues through the end of July.
ELTON & BRANDI: Live From New York
Elton John and Brandi Carlile will be the musical guests on Saturday Night Live next weekend, on April 5th, the day after their album Who Believes in Angels? is released. Jack Black will host. Elton was a musical guest in 1982 and served double duty as host and musical guest in 2011. Brandi was a musical guest in 2021 and 2022. Elton and Brandi are also promoting the album by holding listening parties around the world. Open to members of Elton’s Rocket Club, they start on March 30th in Sydney, Australia. The U.S. date is April 3rd in Los Angeles. And, as reported Tuesday, their show next Wednesday -- March 26th -- at the London Palladium will be broadcast on CBS on April 6th at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will stream on Paramount+.
THE WHO, THE CURE: Daltrey Tabs Smith for Teenage Cancer Trust
Roger Daltrey of The Who has found someone to take over his role curating the Teenage Cancer Trust concerts -- Robert Smith of The Cure. Smith is very familiar with charity concert series at London's Royal Albert Hall, as The Cure played it 2006 and did two shows for it in 2014. Daltrey said in a statement, “With The Cure’s long and outstanding support for Teenage Cancer Trust, Robert appreciates the vital work this charity does. The concerts have become an essential fixture in the music calendar, featuring some of the world’s greatest artists. It has been a challenge to find the right person to take them on -- but Robert, a true musical great, is the perfect curator for the 2026 concerts."
Smith added, "Teenage Cancer Trust does the most fantastic work and it is a great honour - and a real thrill - to be asked to curate the 2026 shows at the Royal Albert Hall. I can promise it will be a very memorable week!” Next year's concerts are March 23rd to the 29th. This year's shows, which feature two performances by The Who, run March 24th through the 30th.
SANTANA & THE DEAD: Bay Area Band Books
New books on Santana and The Grateful Dead are on the way. Carlos Santana: Love, Devotion, Surrender is a coffee table book of photos spanning more than 50 years. In addition to the pieces from Santana’s personal archives, there's a foldout of his favorite guitars from his vast collection, facsimiles of his most important albums, an in-depth illustrated discography, and a complete catalog of every Santana performance from 1968 to 2025. It also features new interviews with Carlos and key figures from his life, including producer and record label executive Clive Davis; original Santana band members Gregg Rollie, Michael Shrieve, and Michael Carabello; collaborators such as Rob Thomas, Narada Michael Walden, and John McLaughlin; and his wife and current Santana drummer Cindy Blackman Santana. The introduction was written by Taj Mahal. Carlos Santa: Love, Devotion, Surrender will be published on May 27th, with a collector's edition -- signed by Carlos -- to follow in the summer.
A little less than a month later, on June 17th, Grateful Dead fans will have a new tome to read.
Loud and Clear: The Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound and the Quest for Audio Perfection takes you behind-the-scenes of the creation and use of the speaker system they used on their 1974 tour. Designed by their sound engineer Owsley “Bear” Stanley in 1973, it contained 604 speakers, was three stories high and 100 feet wide, and generated 26,400 watts of power.
It was last used during their run at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco from October 16th to the 20th in 1974, some of which you can see in 1977's The Grateful Dead Movie. In 2021, Sotheby's auctioned several portions of the Wall, including part of the center vocal cluster and a handmade Alembic speaker cabinet, for $17,640. Also sold were multiple McIntosh MC-2300 amplifiers, with one going for $94,500.
Billy Corgan And Wife Chloe Welcome Baby Daughter juno
Billy Corgan and his wife Chloe Mendel Corgan are welcoming their third child. Their daughter Juno was born on Tuesday at the couple's home in Highland Park, Illinois.Corgan told People that his wife is doing well and recovering, while the baby is happy and healthy. The Smashing Pumpkins' frontman said his other children were thrilled by their new sister.
“Unforgettable”: Nuno Bettencourt joins Van Halen tribute band for blazing Hot For Teacher cover
Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt recently joined the tribute band Nerd Halen on stage, showcasing his skills on an EVH striped guitar and delivering impressive renditions of Van Halen classics. Accompanied by Extreme bassist Pat Badger and Nerd Halen guitarist Caleb Rapoport, Nuno wowed the audience with his flawless execution of Eddie Van Halen's iconic licks. Borrowing a Bumblebee striped replica guitar from Rapoport, Nuno paid homage to his favorite Eddie guitar and left fans in awe of his performance.
DISTURBED: Not Down With the (Mold) Sickness
David Draiman once sang that he was "Down With the Sickness" with Disturbed, but he's not so down with it when it's caused by mold in his rental home. Law 360 reports that Draiman is suing his landlord over an illness he says was caused by mold from a leaky roof. In the suit that was filed on March 11th, Draiman accuses landlord Andy Balgobin of misrepresenting the condition of the building he moved into. Draiman signed a lease for $18,500 a month for a six-bedroom, six-bathroom, 5200-square-foot waterfront house in Coral Gables, Florida.
Draiman claims that Balgobin did not alert him to the leaks and mold ahead of time, and that after he raised concerns about it, the landlord lied when he said the leaks would be fixed. When it was not fixed, Draiman moved out and has yet to recover his $37,000 security deposit. The suit accuses Balgobin of fraudulent misrepresentation, fraud, unjust enrichment and negligence. Draiman says in the filing that "the uninhabitability and mold concerns, among others, resulted in impacts to plaintiff’s singing career, recording and studio time with medical concerns."
IRON MAIDEN's Plane Cut Into Pieces And Put Up For Sale
German company Aviationtag has released a limited edition of unique tags made from the fuselage of Ed Force One, the Boeing 747 that served IRON MAIDEN on their 2016 world tour. The aircraft, piloted by frontman Bruce Dickinson, symbolized the band's global touring legacy. Each tag features the Ed Force One logo on the front and Eddie, the band's mascot, on the back. The collectible tags offer a tangible piece of aviation and rock history, priced at €66.66.
RADIOHEAD: Another Tour Hint?
Radiohead fans have another good sign that the band is returning to action this year.
Last week the news broke that they had formed a new limited liability partnership, which they'd done before their last two projects. And now Resident Advisor reports that Radiohead’s management donated four tickets to a “Radiohead concert of your choice" to a fire relief auction run by Palisades High School in Los Angeles. The auction listing also noted that the highest bidder could choose their show “based on the band’s tour schedule.” A source close to Radiohead told Resident Advisor that the band have placed holds in select European cities for a a number of fall residency shows. Radiohead haven't toured since 2018.
IN OTHER NEWS
Van Halen’s 1991 free show in Dallas will be released on CD on March 28th. Get details at VanHalenStore.com. In addition, they’ve posted an HD remastered video of “Judgement Day” from that show. You’ll find it on YouTube. The show was previously released last year as part of the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge box set.
Michael Anthony has posted videos of himself driving his motorhome to Las Vegas, where he has a site, as well as one of himself, his wife and friends having dinner at Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo on the Strip. Anthony jokes that he had to shoot the video or Hagar would throw him out of the band.
Robert Plant has thrown his support behind his former Swan Song labelmates Bad Company for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He says, “Congratulations! What an epic journey the music of Bad Company has been on. As effective now as it was all those years ago. A cool groove from the Swan Song boys.” Bad Company was also managed by Led Zeppelin’s manager, Peter Grant. Plant, who is a voting member, was inducted as a member of Zeppelin in 1995.