Whitesnake's David Coverdale : "Evidently The Snake By Its Nature Has To Change Its Skin Every So Often"

Vocalist David Coverdale needs no introduction to most fans of classic hard rock. From his initial emergence back in the 70's as frontman of British heavy rock legends Deep Purple, through his seminal blues rock with Whitesnake later on in the decade, later enjoying mega platinum success with later versions of the band, through his work with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page in Coverdale/Page -  All the way to the present, the man is rightly regarded as a vocal legend.

Yesterday David had a talk with Mark Skaar, afternoon drive personality at KLKK 103.7 The Fox in Clear Lake, Iowa in support of the brand new album 'Forevermore'. The album, just released in the States this week via Frontiers Records is being widely hailed as the band's finest since 1987's '1987'. An extremely strong offering, it neatly encompasses all the band's strengths and spirit of all eras of the band in one package. A welcome addition to their catalog, it's a release which can be highly recommended to any fan of classy hard rock with ease. Read on as we present this exclusive interview with a true rock legend, Mr. David Coverdale....

Special thanks to Mark Skaar for allowing this interview to be made public on Nightwatcher's House Of Rock!



Mark Skaar : Mark Skaar from KLKK 103.7 The Fox. I am proud to present David Coverdale from Whitesnake. David, how are ya?

David Coverdale : The Fox and the Snake baby (Laughs) I'm doing great, thank you very much.

MS : What an honor to be talking with such a legendary gentleman as yourself. One of my favorite lead vocalists of all time. Thank you.

DC : I must warn you I'm succeptible to flattery.

MS : You have managed to capture the spirit and sound of all eras of the band on this new record called 'Forevermore' which just came out this week....

DC : We're very excited. It was released as you said this week in the States. I work with fabulous Italians who always discussed the simultaneous worldwide release, which to them means over the period of six weeks. (Laughs) So I'm pretty confused.

MS : You have amazing talent on this album. Your right hand man is guitarist Doug Aldrich...

DC : Yes, it's a partnership made in heaven.

MS : I got to see him when he played with Ronnie James Dio, so I know of his talent...

DC : Doug, Reb (Beach) and I have worked together now for eight years. So it's a very secure foundation for us to build. We have a new rhythm section with Brian Tichy on drums and Michael Devin on bass, and a keyboard player Brian Ruedy will be joining us on tour. So we've redecorated the house of Whitesnake. Evidently the Snake by its nature has to change its skin every so often.

MS : Talk to me about writing with Doug and how that's come to fruition over the past two records.

DC : Doug, as I say, we've had a great friendship that had developed even before I had the intention of making a new recording. So when we sat down it was a natural transition. We're friends anyway so we'd start talking at the dinner table, then inevitably the conversation would turn to what I call a music conversation. We'd do a trade off on acoustic guitars, playing ideas to each other. Immediately it was obvious that it was a natural thing for us to compose together. Relatively effortless. We wrote a powerful record, I thought with 'Good To Be Bad'. The way that was received so successfully I think gave us that extra boost of confidence which led directly to 'Forevermore'.

MS : I understand 'Forevermore' was not the original title for the album...

DC : It was going to be 'Guilty Pleasures'. But I thought that I'd keep that for a "Best of" album.

MS : Also in the pipeline this year is a live concert filmed at Donington in 1990...

DC : Yes, featuring the incredible Steve Vai, the "Paganini of Rock", Adrian Vandenberg, Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge. It's an incindiary live concert that we played in England at The Monsters Of Rock, the Castle Donington Festival. It really did cause me to reassess that chapter of the Snake. The band's firing on all cylinders. It's a relentless show, and the audience is with us every step of the way. It's Whitesnake featuring 72,000 of their closest friends.

MS : I understand that's coming out in June?

DC : I believe so, yes. I'll believe it when I see it. To be honest, I'd suggest that anyone just check at whitesnake.com. That's the oasis of all things Snake. That will give you tour dates, potential interaction with myself, and find out  what's being released and when.

MS : The tour starts in May. You have so many songs to choose from. How do you pick the songs you're going to play live?

DC : You know what, I'm going to leave that to the people who participate on the bulletin board at whitesnake.com. A lot of them are already posting their playlists, and I think a lot of them are wanting to hear the entire 'Forevermore' album. Hopefully we'll be doing 50% new stuff while still featuring stuff like "Here I Go Again", "Is This Love", "Give Me All Your Love", "Still Of The Night"...all those things. It should be a very compelling and fulfilling show. But really I'm going to say to the band, "What do you fancy doing?" Because to me, with a new band I'd be delighted to do all the songs.

MS : Whose idea was it to do the Deep Purple "Burn/Stormbringer" medley?

DC : Actually that was originally Doug Aldrich's and the band's idea. I threw "Stormbringer" in. I had rehearsed "Burn". Apparently to all of my colleagues, that was an incredibly influential song on their decisions to make music their career. I didn't really want to go back, as there's certainly enough Whitesnake material to perform. But when they played it it was irresistible, and we had to play it. I think it shocked, surprised and delighted a lot of people. For instance, when we were playing in South America, I never went down there with Deep Purple. I had no idea that "Burn" was like a national anthem down there. The place went bananas.

MS : In 1974 with Deep Purple you played the Cal Jam. Probably everybody's seen the DVD. What was on your mind? That was your first trip to America, and you're looking out at over 300,000 people. What are you thinking?

DC : It was amazing. Just to list some facts, that people don't really know, is that we'd just received a check for a million dollars from Warner Brothers, and it was so crazy backstage, that it was deemed that my jeans pocket, my arse pocket, was the safest place to have this check. So I had a million dollar check in my jeans pocket. After the show, somebody called Linda Lovelace was asking to meet Deep Purple. Unfortunately at that time we'd never heard of her. It had all the Deeps. Purple and Throat.

MS : The 'Come Taste The Band' 35th Anniversary album was released recently. Kevin Shirley did a great job on that.

DC : He did an amazing job. I'm very happy to say that Kevin Shirley had the respect to have both me and Glenn Hughes involved in this. He would send these mixes through.He is incredibly, insanely fast at mixing. I'm not sure if it's available in the States, but you can get it through Amazon. It really is a beautiful, contemporary piece of work that stands up amazingly well. The remix is astonishing.

MS : Of course the late Tommy Bolin is one of us, being here from Iowa....

DC : Oh yeah he was incredible. I kind of claim responsibility for bringing Tommy into Deep Purple. I'd heard his work on Billy Cobham's 'Spectrum' album and I was blown away. When Ritchie Blackmore decided to depart, and we made the decision to continue and look for a replacement, my list was first Jeff Beck, then an Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher, and then Tommy Bolin, who, I'd been hearing. None of the other guys had heard of him at that time until I played them the 'Spectrum' album. I didn't even know about The James Gang albums with Tommy at that time. I was a big fan of Joe Walsh's at the beginning.

Everyone was blown away with Tommy, so we set out trying to find him. It took some time actually, then we found that he lived down the coast from me, in Malibu. Next door. It was amazing.

For more information on Whitesnake go to http://www.whitesnake.com/

"Love Will Set You Free", the first single from the new album 'Forevermore' :

Alice Cooper's 'Welcome 2 My Nightmare' Pushed Back To 2012

Legendary rocker Alice Cooper spoke to Aol's Noisecreep about "Welcome 2 My Nightmare", a sequel to his 1975 concept album "Welcome to My Nightmare" - his first "solo" release after the break-up of the original Alice Cooper band.

"It will be out next year," he said, "We have to do the whole festivals tour first which will be South America, Australia, Europe, Canada, all over the States. That's going to be a big kind of heavy Alice show. But the [tour] after that will be 'Welcome To My Nightmare Part Two' - 'Welcome 2 My Nightmare,' and it's going to be a full-out nightmare so I almost can't wait for that one. The next show is going to be fun. The show after that, the nightmare show, is going to be unbelievable."

In a recent interview with Billboard.com, Cooper said about the forthcoming CD, "I had an idea to do a part two to (2008's) 'Along Came a Spider'," Cooper says. "I came to [producer] Bob [Ezrin; Pink Floyd, Kiss] with it, and he listened and goes, 'Eh. I would be more excited if 'Along Came a Spider' was a No. 1 record.' He wasn't really into it. Then we started talking about 'Welcome to My Nightmare''s 35th anniversary or something like that, and he said, 'What if Alice had another nightmare?' All I was trying to do was get Bob to say, 'Yeah, I want to produce the album,' so we found a place where both of us really felt comfortable, and that was doing 'Nightmare 2'."

"Welcome 2 My Nightmare" features the original "Nightmare" tandem of Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, with Vince Gill guesting on a track called "Runaway Train". In addition, surviving Cooper band members Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith appear on the song "When Hell Comes Home".

"There are certain songs where we let some of the themes from (the original) 'Nightmare' slip in," Cooper told Billboard.com. "All of a sudden you'll hear the little piano part from 'Steven' or from 'The Awakening'. I wanted (the albums) to be married together. I think we even make reference to a couple of characters from the original (album)."

Blues Rock Guitar Titan Joe Bonamassa's 'Dust Bowl' Debuts At # 4 On UK Album Charts

The just released 12th album from blues rock titan Joe Bonamassa 'Dust Bowl' (Out in the UK on March 21st and in the USA on March 22nd via J&R Adventures) has debuted at #4 on the UK Official Album Charts.

The Kevin Shirley produced album also features guest appearances by John Hiatt, Vince Gill, Beth Hart and Bonamassa's Black Country Communion bandmate Glenn Hughes on a cover of the Free classic "Heartbreaker".

Shirley most recently produced Bonamassa’s 2010 release, Black Rock, which entered the UK album chart at #14 and 2010′s self-titled debut album from Black Country Communion, the Bonamassa-helmed, British-American rock supergroup with Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath), Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner) and Derek Sherinian (Billy Idol, Dream Theatre).

Previously Unreleased Double CD Set By Irish Blues Rock Guitar Legend Rory Gallagher 'Notes From San Francisco' Set For Release May 17th

On May 17th, via Eagle Rock Entertainment, late Irish blues rock guitar legend Rory Gallagher will see a previously unreleased double CD offering in stores entitled 'Notes From San Francisco'.

Unavailable until now, these are rare studio sides by Gallagher that have now been unearthed. In 1977, six years into his solo career, the guitarist laid down the tracks with bassist Gerry McAvoy, keyboardist Lou Martin, drummer Rod de’Ath, violinist Joe O’Donnell and saxophonist Martin Fiero. In November 1977, after completing a 6 month world tour, Rory and his band flew straight from their last show in Japan to San Francisco to begin working on a new album, with famed American producer Elliot Mazer (Neil Young - 'Harvest', Janis Joplin - 'Cheap Thrills', The Band - 'The Last Waltz'). Mazer recalls that the sessions grew "tense", as Gallagher wasn't happy with the mixing process, describing them as "too complicated", and by the end of January 1978 he shelved the whole record and broke up his band of the past 5 years.

Disc #2 consists of a  December 1979 power trio live show at The Old Waldorf in San Francisco with bassist McAvoy and drummer Ted McKenna.

The Limited Edition Deluxe Edition of 'Notes From San Francisco' will include a set of personalized Rory postcards complete with 'Rory Stamps' which have been sourced from the original US company that produced them.

Track listing :

CD1
1. Rue The Day
2. Persuasion
3. B Girl
4. Mississippi Sheiks
5. Wheels Within Wheels
6. Overnight Bag
7. Cruise On Out
8. Brute Force & Ignorance
9. Fuel To The Fire

BONUS TRACKS
10. Wheels Within Wheels (Alt version)
11. Cut A Dash
12. Out On The Tiles

CD2
1. Follow Me
2. Shinkicker
3. Off The Handle
4. Bought And Sold
5. I'm Leavin'
6. Tattoo'd Lady
7. Do You Read Me
8. Country Mile
10. Shadow Play
11. Bullfrog Blues
12. Sea Cruise

Here's a preview in the form of the previously unreleased studio track "Rue The Day" :

   Rory Gallagher - Rue The Day by Eagle Rock Entertainment

Classic Rock Legends Wishbone Ash To Undertake Spring U.S. Tour

Legendary British classic rockers Wishbone Ash are hitting the road this spring for a U.S. tour in support of a new DVD and ahead of their forthcoming album.

The group returns to several familiar venues along with select new stops on the three-week tour (tour dates listed below). The DVD, 'This is Wishbone Ash,' is a rockumentary offering a "fly on the wall" glimpse of the creative process, as the band records tracks for the upcoming CD release and prepares for a concert.

Wishbone Ash plans a late spring-early summer US release for the new CD (working title: 'Searching for Satellites'). The album features brand new tunes from the pen of founding member Andy Powell (guitar, lead vocals) and Muddy Manninen (guitar, backing vocals), with input from bassist Bob Skeat and drummer Joe Crabtree.

April 25 - Tupelo Music Hall - Londonderry, NH
April 26 - Tupelo Music Hall - White River Junction, VT (featuring Argus Live)
April 27 - Sellersville Theater Sellersville, PA
April 28 - Ramshead - Annapolis, MD
April 29 - BB Kings - New York, NY
April 30 - Van Dyck - Schenectady, NY (2nd set features Argus Live)
May 02 - Winchester Music Hall - Cleveland/Lakewood, OH
May 03 - Callahan's - Auburn Hills, MI (featuring Argus Live)
May 04 - 4D's - Ft. Wayne, IN (featuring Argus Live)
May 05 - Midway Tavern - Mishawaka/South Bend, IN
May 06 - Fitzgerald's - Berwyn, IL - TWO SHOWS 7:30 PM and 10 PM (2nd show featuring Argus Live)
May 07 - Shank Hall - Milwaukee, WI
May 11 - Sioux City Community Theatre - Sioux City, IA
May 12 - Whiskey Road House - Council Bluffs, IA (featuring Argus Live)
May 13 – Knuckleheads - Kansas City, MO (featuring Argus Live)
May 15 - Cosmic Charlie's - Lexington, KY
May 16 - Moondogs - Pittsburgh, PA
May 17 - Bridge Street Live - Collinsville, CT

Wishbone Ash "Phoenix" Live In Switzerland February 2011 :

Black Country Communion Reveals Tracklisting For 'Black Country Communion 2'

Black Country Communion, the hard rocking super group featuring blues rock guitar titan/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Trapeze), drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, UFO), and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater), has announced the track-listing for their highly anticipated second album.

Produced by Kevin Shirley, the album, which is simply entitled “2”, will be released in on June 13th, 2011 via Mascot Records, and June 14th in the U.S. on the J&R Adventures label.

The album track listing is as follows:

1. The Outsider
2. Man In The Middle
3. I Can See Your Spirit
4. The Battle For Hadrian’s Wall
5. Save Me
6. Cold
7. Smokestack Woman
8. Faithless
9. An Ordinary Son
10. Little Secret
11. Crossfire
12. Crawl

Pink Floyd's Nick Mason Has High Hopes For Reunion

Nick Mason has high hopes for a Pink Floyd reunion, even though he said the prospect is "unlikely." Talking to BBC 6 Music, Mason ruled out a full-blown tour featuring Roger Waters, David Gilmour and himself, but suggested a special event could happen.

"No one has said we will never work [together] again," the drummer said. "I think it is very unlikely we are going to go out on tour. I think Roger's really happy working on his own now ... It's hard to see Dave thinking he'd really like to work full-time with Roger.

"On the other hand I live in hope we would absolutely do another Live 8 or play together for the right reasons."

To read more go to this location.

Classic Scottish Hard Rockers Nazareth To Unleash 'Big Dogz' In May

Legendary Scottish hard rockers Nazareth are set to return with a brand new studio album 'Big Dogz', which will be hitting stores and online May 10, 2011 via Eagle Rock Entertainment through EarMusic.

Produced by guitarist Jimmy Murrison and Yann Rouiller, the album reportedly was recorded with nearly no overdubs or multiple takes or solos adjusted by a computer in order to capture the original sound and spirit of the 70's.

Founding member Pete Agnew says of the album, "They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but having recorded the new Nazareth album Big Dogz, I don't agree. We've got some tasty bones here! Our friends at earMusic offered us the opportunity to mark some new territory and the 'Nazhounds' are delighted to be back among their pack. We're straining at the leash to tour this puppy. We reckon it's bitchin'! So get ready, because in 2011 the Big Dogz gonna howl!!"

Big Dogz' Track Listing:
01. Big Dog's Gonna Howl
02. Claimed
03. When Jesus Comes To Save The World Again
04. Radio
05. No Mean Monster
06. Time And Tide
07. Lifeboat
08. The Toast
09. Watch Your Back
10. Butterfly
11. Sleeptalker

The new album will be available on CD , deluxe edition CD with acoustic bonus tracks .and also vinyl .

Nazareth is:
Dan McCafferty (vocals)
Pete Agnew (bass)
Lee Agnew (drums)
Jimmy Murrison (guitars)

For more info go to http://www.nazarethdirect.co.uk/nazareth/

   Nazareth - Big Dog's Gonna Howl by Eagle Rock Entertainment

Still Mr. Nice Guy : An Archival Interview With Michael Bruce Of The Original Alice Cooper Group

I'm Eighteen,". "The Ballad Of Dwight Fry,"... "Under My Wheels,"... "Desperado,"..."School's Out,"... "Billion Dollar Babies,"... "No More Mr. Nice Guy." What do all these songs have in common, besides being some of the most popular songs recorded by the original Alice Cooper Group? What these songs also have in common is the fact that all these were either written, or co written by guitarist Michael Bruce.

While Alice was, and still is, one of the best frontmen ever to come along in the long history of Rock, one should remember that before there was "Alice Cooper" there was ALICE COOPER the band. It was this ensemble - which, besides Alice, consisted of guitarists Michael Bruce and Glen Buxton, bassist Dennis Dunaway and drummer Neal Smith - that rose to superstardom in the early 70's, influencing countless subsequent bands in both image and musical style in the process.

Not to mention becoming the band your parents warned you about, as well as being the scourge of chickens everywhere. It was this configuration of musicians who, along with producer Bob Ezrin, recorded such classic albums as 'Love It To Death,' 'Killer', 'School's Out', 'Billion Dollar Babies' and 'Muscle Of Love.' Even to this very day, if one goes to an Alice Cooper show, a good share of the set will be comprised of songs written during this time period, a fact that three decades after the breakup of the original band goes a long way in showing just how timeless the music really is.

In 2005, I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and talk with Michael over the course of two nights - a total of over seven hours. Not only about the Cooper days, but what he's been up to since, in particular the wonderful album he had just then released at the time , 'The Second Coming Of Michael Bruce : Alive & Re-Cooperated.'  So with his fresh long overdue induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame along with the rest of the original band March 14th, I present to you dear readers this archival interview with guitarist/songwriter Michael Bruce of Alice Cooper... read on for the exclusive interview from the archives here.

Special thanks go to Billy James of Glass Onyon PR for coordinating, Si Halley at Sick Things U.K. for his input, and a BILLION thanks to Michael for doing this interview!

Box Set From Original Alice Cooper Band Due Out In June

On the heels of their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame last night in New York City, the original Alice Cooper Band is to release a box set 'Old School' in June.

This will contain four CDs from the period 1964-1974, a DVD, a seven inch vinyl single, a bootleg vinyl album featuring a show from 1971 and a 64-page hardback book.

This will all come in a 12 inch square school desk box.

4 CDs from the years 1964-1974:

Disc 1: Demos, rarities, live, and advertisements

Disc 2: Demos from Muscle Of Love, a pre-production of songs from School's Out, 1973 Madison Square Garden live track, and advertisements.

Disc 3: Spoken word

Disc 4: Live show of the 1971 Killer tour in St. Louis DVD (single disc in Amaray case) with 3 never before seen features (over 2 hours)

64 page, full-color yearbook style book with hard front & back cover: Period pictures of all band members, many never before seen. Book written by Lonn Friend, a well-known heavy metal journalist.

Gatefold folder containing:
2 tour programs
Ticket stubs
Set list
5 prints
Bootleg Vinyl: 1971 Killer live show in St. Louis
7 inch vinyl: Songs 'Wonder Whose Lovin' Her Now' & 'Lay Down & Die, Goodbye' from The Nazz
IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD of the 'Elected' music video (AliceCooper.com Exclusive)- Available as a M4V or MOV download as soon as you complete the pre-order transaction. Price: $260.00.


Find out more at http://www.alicecooper.com/

Here's a short clip from last night's induction performance, of the original Cooper band, with guitarist Steve Hunter deputizing for the late Glen Buxton performing "I'm Eighteen"

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Supergroup Black Country Communion Announce U.S Tour Dates

Black Country Communion, the supergroup comprised of Glenn Hughes(Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Trapeze)  bass and vocals, blues rock guitar titan Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, UFO, Foreigner) and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Billy Idol, Alice Cooper) have announced a series of U.S tour dates commencing in San Diego, California June 9th.

Complete tour dates thus far are listed below :


June 9: San Diego, CA - Civic Theatre

June 10: Anaheim, CA - City National Grove of Anaheim

June 11: Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot

June 13: St. Louis, MO - The Pageant

June 15: Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre

June 17: Hampton Beach, NH - Casino Ballroom

June 19: Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club

Black Country Comunion's  Kevin Shirley produced sophomore album is scheduled for a June release.  The self-titled debut album from the band sold 7,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 54 on The Billboard 200 chart.

For more information on Black Country Communion and to purchase tickets go to this location.

Guitar World Senior Writer Alan Paul Releases 'Big In China' Via Harper Collins Publishing

On March 1, 2011, Senior Writer Alan Paul of Guitar World magazine released a brand new book 'Big In China : My Unlikely Adventures Raising a Family, Playing the Blues, and Becoming a Star in Beijing ' via Harper - Collins publishing.

In the book, Paul recounts an unanticipated life-changing experience that began when his wife accepted a three-year work assignment in Beijing. After resettling their three young children from suburban New Jersey to China, Paul, a music and basketball journalist who played guitar only as a hobby, embarked on an exploration of local culture and music. The search prompted his transition from writing about music to being a bona fide rock star in the band Woodie Alan, a cross-cultural blues group named after Alan and his Chinese band member, Woodie Wu, a guitarist with a Stevie Ray Vaughan tattoo.

Paul blogged about his Chinese experience and also wrote a column on it for the Wall Street Journal's Web site. His story, however, is much more than a musical and journalistic victory dance. It's equal parts family memoir, travelogue, personal analysis of globalization and expatriate communities, and a view of the world's most populous nation through American eyes.

Alan's band, Woodie Alan was voted Beijing Band Of The Year in the 2008 City Weekend Reader's Poll and has toured and performed throughout China. Their debut album 'Beijing Blues' (China Guitar Records) has been praised by such guitar luminaries ranging from The Allman Brothers Band's Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes to ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons. For more information on the band go to www.alanpaul.net.

To order the book go to this location.

Alan Paul is a senior writer for Slam and Guitar World magazines, and his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Entertainment Weekly, People, Sports Illustrated, and many other media outlets. He has contributed to The Rolling Stone Jazz and Blues Guide, The Insider's Guide to Beijing, and several other books. He lives with his family in Maplewood, New Jersey.

Gold Sparkle Fender Stratocaster Owned By Blues Rock Guitar Titan Joe Bonamassa Sells For $30,000 In Clapton Crossroads Auction

Where's Eric, the Eric Clapton fan site, is reporting that on the afternoon of 9 March, Bonhams New York conducted a 4 hour sale of 138 lots to aid Crossroads Centre in Antigua, an addiction recovery facility which was founded by Eric Clapton in 1998. Two viewing rooms in New York City were jam-packed with bidders, as was the Los Angeles salesroom which participated by a simulcast.

Additionally, there were additional bidders online and on the phone. Competition to acquire guitars, amplifiers, gold records and awards from rock legend Eric Clapton and instruments donated by musician friends Jeff Beck, JJ Cale and Joe Bonamassa was fierce. The sale was 100% sold and the hammer price for all lots totaled $1,767,977. John Bailey was the auctioneer.

Many items went for double their high estimate, with others selling for outstanding multiples. What was most surprising were the amounts garnered by the gold record awards and BMI certificates. The RIAA Certified Gold Discs for Me And Mr. Johnson and Journeyman each sold for an astounding $32,000 as did the Special Citatation of Achievement presented to Clapton for "Tears In Heaven." Of Clapton's guitars on offer, the key items were the following:

2008 Martin D-12-28 - $58,000
2005 Zemaitis Custom Acoustic - $50,000
2005 Semaitis S22BP 3S - $62,000
1948 Gibson L5P - $68,000
2008 Daphne Blue Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature Model - $42,000

From the group of guitars donated by his musician friends to support the Crossroads Centre, Joe Bonamassa's Fender Stratocaster with gold sparkle finish (pictured) was the highlight, selling for $30,000.Of the amplifiers in the auction, a pair of 1988 Soldano SLO-100 with Pete Cornish Routing System and Marshall 1960B speaker cabinets netted $27,000. A 1957 Twin Amplifier sold for an astounding $32,000. A Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 Limited Edition Poster printed on wood and autographed by 19 of the musicians who performed at the festival sold for $8,000.

Eric Clapton did not attend the New York sale as he and his band were scheduled to perform that night at Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles.

In other Bonamassa related news the guitarist will be joining Cream bass legend Jack Bruce at London's  Royal Festival Hall June 4th for Jack Bruce and his Big Blues Band with special guests. The concert celebrates 60 years of blues in Britain. For more information go to this location.

More Jimi Hendrix Catalog Project Releases Due In April

Following the Valley Of Neptune and the West Coast Seattle Boy anthology releases last year, Experience Hendrix and Sony's Legacy Recordings have announced a new wave of titles from the Jimi Hendrix Catalog Project.

Available April 12th, the releases will include the Legacy edition of Power Of Soul: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix (originally released in 2004), which includes such diverse artists as Eric Clapton ('Burning Of The Midnight Lamp'), Prince ('Purple Haze'), Cee-Lo-Green('Foxey Lady'), Santana ('Spanish Castle Magic'), Eric Gales ("May This Be Love"),  Musiq Soulchild ('Are You Experienced?'), Sting ('The Wind Cries Mary'), Lenny Kravitz ('Have You Ever Been [To Electric Ladyland]') Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble ("Little Wing/3rd Stone From The Sun"), John Lee Hooker ("Red House") and many others.

Royalties generated by the sale of this album will be donated to the Jimi Hendrix Scholarship Fund that was established at the United Negro College Fund in 1993. The Jimi Hendrix Scholarship Fund continues to provide college tuition funds to aspiring students at traditionally black colleges across America.

Also due on April 12th, is the Song Legacy edition of South Saturn Delta, a stunning and insightful collection of 15 recordings offering a unique insight into the creative process that Jimi Hendrix undertook while crafting many of his most beloved recordings. This compilation assembles recordings from throughout Jimi Hendrix's career including both incarnations of The Experience, Woodstock's Gypsy Sun & Rainbows and The Band Of Gypsys. Features early renditions and alternate takes of the classics ''Little Wing', 'Pali Gap', 'All Along The Watchtower', plus previously unheard recordings such as 'South Saturn Delta'.

Finally, the 140-minute DVD Jimi Hendrix: Band Of Gypsys (Live At Fillmore East) features the only known footage of the group in concert. All of the existing black and white video footage of the group s January 1, 1970 first show is presented in its original performance sequence. The audio soundtrack features a brand new stereo and 5.1 stereo surround mix by Eddie Kramer, Jimi s original engineer. The revolutionary impact Jimi Hendrix, Billy Cox and Buddy Miles had upon the boundaries and definitions of rock, R&B and funk can be traced to four concerts over the course of two evenings. The story of this groundbreaking music is told here in interviews with Jimi, and for the first time, all four of his bandmates, Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding, Billy Cox and Buddy Miles. Among those also contributing are Lenny Kravitz, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Slash (Velvet Revolver, ex-Guns N' Roses), and original engineer Eddie Kramer. This Grammy Award winning documentary provides new insights into some of the most exciting and influential music.

Original Alice In Chains Bassist Mike Starr Dies At 44

Original Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr, who played on the band's albums through 1992's 'Dirt' was found dead at his home in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was 44.

This past February Starr was arrested on suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance for having six Xanax and six Opana pills without a prescription.

After leaving Alice In Chains in 1992 he went on to play bass for the band Sun Red Sun, which featured former Black Sabbath members in vocalist Ray Gillen and drummer Bobby Rondinelli. The band released one self titled album in 1995, two years after Gillen died from AIDS related complications.

Blues Rock Soulstress Dana Fuchs Will 'Love To Beg' on April 12th

Ruf Records announces the signing of dynamic rock/blues singer Dana Fuchs and the release of her label debut CD, Love To Beg, on April 12. Ruf Records is distributed in the U.S. by the Allegro Corporation. Fuchs is currently on tour in Europe and will celebrate her U.S. release with a special showcase in New York City on April 15 at the Highline Ballroom.

Love To Beg is a visceral combination of pure rock and blues, with touches of soul, gospel and R&B in the mix. Fuchs’ band has sold out shows all across the U.S. sharing the bill with such national acts as Joe Cocker, Dickey Betts, Gov’t Mule and Bob Weir. Dana and her band are a festival sensation, rocking to over 2000,000 people since 2008 at festivals in the U.S., Italy, The Netherlands, Germany and Scandinavia.

Fuchs played the character “Sadie” in the highly-acclaimed Julie Taymor film, Across The Universe, and Dana’s featured lead vocals on the soundtrack CD earned her a platinum album, with over one million sales in the U.S. The accompanying DVD has also sold over 1.5 million units worldwide. She also starred as Janis Joplin in the Eric Nederlander production of the long running off-Broadway musical, Love, Janis.

The Village Voice called her “a voice that is sultry and astonishingly boundless;” while The New Yorker wrote, “Dana Fuchs and her band turn out rocking, blues-infused originals that come to life in Dana’s burnished vocals.” And Stereophile Magazine summed up its review by stating, “Imagine a sultry, more emotive Janis Joplin backed by a higher-energy version of the late ‘60s Rolling Stones…rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t get any better.”

Love to Beg was produced by Jon Diamond and Dana Fuchs, with additional production by Kenny Aaronson. It features 12 original songs, and a scintillating cover of “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” originally recorded by Dana’s favorite male soul vocalist in the world, Otis Redding.

“We are so happy with this new record,” enthuses Dana Fuchs. “I really feel like I finally captured all of the styles I am most influenced and inspired by: soul, rock, blues, gospel and roots. It was so fun and inspiring to see our songs materialize with great musicians in a studio environment where we could really experiment with sounds, different instrumentation, tempos, etc. This is only my second studio album, and while I have a special connection with my first record, as well as the live CD we've been touring on, I feel this new one just expresses exactly who I am, and what I am about musically!”

Phil Collins Announces Retirement From Music : "I Don't Think Anyone's Going To Miss Me"

Prefix Magazine is reporting that after four decades in the music industry, starting with influential English prog-rock band Genesis and continuing with his own long solo career, Phil Collins is now done with music. "I don't really belong to that world," he told British lad's mag FHM in announcing his decision, "and I don't think anyone's going to miss me." Which is both the saddest and truest statement about Phil Collins.

Collins has nerve damage in his hands, which is what happens after playing drums in professional rock bands for 40 years. He also has a dislocated vertebra and hearing problems, making performing simple tasks difficult if not impossible. "I'm not worried about not being able to play the drums again," he said in the interview, "I'm more worried about being able to cut a loaf of bread safely or building things for my kids."

Collins, who is now 60, lives alone in Switzerland and joked about going "on a mysterious biking holiday and never return[ing]." At least, I hope it was a joke. Otherwise it's really depressing.

He's already announced retirement at least once before, in 2008, before releasing Going Back last year to little notice. Maybe all the existential isolation will make it real this time, though.

Blues Guitar Legend B. B. King To Play Glastonbury Festival

The UK's Telegraph is reporting that  85 year old blues guitar legend B.B. King, will be one of the stars of the 2011 Glastonbury Festival.

King is the last of the great bluesmen – the sole survivor of a tradition that goes back to the Mississippi Delta and the early 1920s. Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf – the men who were his contemporaries, and his rivals, have all passed on. But King continues to record and tour at the age of 84. He joked: "If I stop I don’t get paid."

King has released more than 50 albums and won 14 Grammys. He also earned the National Award of Distinction from the University of Mississippi in 1992 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at number three on its list of the "100 greatest guitarists of all time".

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The Kinks To Reunite Without Dave Davies?

Spinner.com is reporting that Ray Davies is still up for playing again with the remaining Kinks, even if his estranged brother refuses to take part.

Judging from the Kinks frontman's recent comments, one of rock's longest-running feuds is still in full swing, as Ray admitted he had not seen Dave Davies for a while.

In an interview with Q Magazine (via the Daily Express), Ray was reminded of his brother's comment that a reunion of the north London band would be like "a bad remake of 'Night Of The Living Dead.'" The currently solo artist replied: "I can understand what he's trying to say. I think it's a reference to comebacks in general."

He added, "The fortunate thing for me is that I was never a sexy frontman. Dave was always the pretty kid. So maybe he feels that way about himself. But we'll do it without him if we have to. The music is the issue."

Ray also made a sly reference to his guitar-playing sibling's interest in spiritual matters. "I hear Dave's more cosmic than ever. I'm a little more based on planet Earth than certain other members of my family."