Are you a rock music fan? Have you always wanted to know enough about the most popular rock bands to be part of their fandom? Do you want to surround yourself with passionate fans who also share the same love for rock music that you do? If so, then this article is for you. Here, we’ll discuss the top five most popular rock bands and everything you need to know about them before you grow your fandom or dive into it. Keep reading to learn more. Continue reading Top 5 Most Popular Rock Bands in History→
If you can make it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art before the October 1st, 2019 closing date of its attendance record-setting exhibit, Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll you will find that it is so much more than just a collection of famous guitars. For me, the Oh, Wow factor is summed up in the true work of art that is Keith Moon’s Pictures of Lily Drumkit circa 1967. Jesus god, look at this beautiful thing. Just look at it. Continue reading Keith Moon’s Pictures of Lily Drumkit→
Andy Johns, who famously produced or engineered ground breaking albums by Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Jethro Tull and The Rolling Stones, to name but a few, has passed away on April 7th, 2013. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed, although Johns had recently been hospitalized with liver ailments.
Andy Johns was part of an amazing musical legacy that included his older brother, producer Glyn Johns, who famously worked with The Who (among a laundry list of legends). His sons Ethan and Will Johns are working musicians and his nephew, Evan Johns (son of Glyn) is also a producer.
Many years ago, I had the opportunity to interview Andy Johns when I was hired to write a bio for an indie band whose record he had produced. The band’s management and publicist were completely clueless about how to effectively spin this band and it was my idea to add John’s input to the bio. He was fun to talk to and definitely knew his shit.
Sadly, the group’s handlers disagreed with the artistic slant I put on the bio, another writer was brought in and I was paid a kill fee for my efforts. Hilariously, when I eventually received a finished copy of the band’s album, along with the new bio, I did notice that direct quotes pulled from my interview with Johns were integrated into the new piece, with no credit to me. What a bunch of dicks. Andy Johns was 61 years old. RIP, Andy.
Chris Stamp, who co-managed The Who during their rise to rock stardom and released the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s first single and album via his Track Records label, has died of cancer at age 70.
According to Billboard, Stamp passed away Saturday night (Nov. 24) at New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital. He met the Who while making a film about the rise of rock music in England, and went on to become the group’s co-manager alongside Kit Lambert. The pair worked with the group until their dismissal in 1975, with Stamp also earning production credits on Who albums including Magic Bus and Quadrophenia.
Stamp and Lambert (who died in 1981) formed Track Records in 1968 and released Are You Experienced?, Axis: Bold as Love and other classic albums by Hendrix along with records from The Who, Arthur Brown and Golden Earring.
After reportedly conquering his own substance abuse problems in 1987, Stamp began a new career as an addiction counseling therapist. He reconnected with the Who in later years by participating in documentaries and writing liner notes for re-releases of their classic albums.
The Who paid tribute to Stamp both on their official website and from the stage, with singer Roger Daltrey telling the crowd at the group’s Detroit concert Saturday night their former manager was a person “without whom we wouldn’t be the band we were.”
I love Keith Moon and everything, and this tatt is a pretty realistic likeness, but…I’m not sure how I feel about it. Keith’s face has a little bit of an Ed Grimley thing going on. It is kind of creeping me out. What do you think?
