Classic Rock Corner

Geezer Butler's Lifetime of Sabbaths—and the Days of Metal In Between

Geezer Butler's Lifetime of Sabbaths—and the Days of Metal In Between

A Beatles Photo Fest in a New Book

A Beatles Photo Fest in a New Book

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Review: Santana and the Arc Angels at the Woodlands Pavilion

By Bob Ruggiero
May 8, 2023

Well, the third time was indeed the charm for Houston audiences waiting to see Carlos Santana and his namesake band on stage at the Woodlands Pavilion. A planned 2020 show was axed by COVID, and last year’s makeup date was put on ice when Santana suffered a health crisis onstage...
John Ford Coley's Tales of Texas, "England Dan" & the Torah

By Bob Ruggiero
May 5, 2023

Analyzing misheard lyrics in rock have provided music nerds endless hours of fun (and even been the subject of a series of books by Gavin Edwards.). Needless to say, the actual words to some famous tunes were not “Hold me closer, Tony Danza” (Elton John, “Tiny Dancer”); “Scuse me while...
DVD Collects Three Rare Rock Docs on the '60s San Francisco Scene

By Bob Ruggiero
May 2, 2023

He was more than a generation older than the original hippies, had short hair, smoked a pipe, and mostly covered jazz. But San Francisco Chronicle music writer Ralph J. Gleason knew that the new rock music coming out of the city’s scene in the mid/late ‘60s was important, and something...
New Book Details When Rock Bands Got the Boogie Fever

By Bob Ruggiero
May 2, 2023

Though it was a bit past its prime in terms of recruitment, in May 1979, the KISS Army was still a very fit and formidable fighting force. But Generals Stanley and Simmons were facing some serious AWOL and desertion in the ranks when the latest single from the costumed hard...
Stephen Stills' Vault Dive Yields Lost 1971 Concert

By Bob Ruggiero
Apr 27, 2023

Stephen Stills is nothing if not an involved guy in the studio. During the recording for Crosby, Stills and Nash’s debut record, his bandmates dubbed him “Captain Manyhands,” as he not only oversaw the process, but played every instrument on the record, save for some Crosby and Nash acoustic guitars...
Steely Dan's Rogues Gallery Holds a (Dysfunctional) Family Reunion

By Bob Ruggiero
Apr 13, 2023

Take the body of work of any Classic Rock band—or that of any other genre—and you’d be hard pressed to name a group with more characters of note than in the lyrics of Steely Dan. Dr. Wu. Mr. La Page, Hoops McCann. Deacon Blues. Buzz. Chino & Daddy Gee. Michael...
The Texas Tornado Spins Again for Record Store Day

By Bob Ruggiero
Mar 23, 2023

It wasn’t quite subterfuge, and it wasn’t exactly a scam. But during the mid-‘60s any band that smacked of the British Invasion was hot and sure to get attention. So, a number of, um, decidedly American groups tried to adapt a Union Jack in their quest for attention and chart...
Brothers in Blues Explores the Familial and Musical Bonds of the Vaughans

By Bob Ruggiero
Mar 21, 2023

It’s a well-worn cliché in music history that Brothers Will Battle. From the Dorsey, Everly and Davies boys to the Fogerty, Robinson and Gallagher lads, sonic siblings often don’t get along. But maybe that’s because they’re in the same band. Or—just possibly—They’re not from Texas. After all, two of the...
The Spacey Life and Tunes of Leon Russell

By Bob Ruggiero
Mar 6, 2023

Sometimes we tend to forget that even musical heroes have musical heroes. When Elton John came to these shores to play his first highly-anticipated run of shows at L.A.’s Troubadour Club in 1970, he was ecstatic to meet one of his: Leon Russell. Cut to nearly four decades later and...
The Zombies Resurrection Continues with New Album, Tour and Documentary

By Bob Ruggiero
Feb 28, 2023

When we last spoke with Rod Argent way back in 2004 prior to a Houston tour stop, the keyboardist and his vocalist bandmate Colin Blunstone were only a few years past resurrecting the Zombies. The highly influential (but short-lived) 1960s British Invasion band hit U.S. charts and radio with “Time...
Al Stewart: Of Zodiac Cats, Succulent Grapes and the Genius of Chuck Berry

By Bob Ruggiero
Feb 16, 2023

It’s an enviable position for any musician to find him or herself in: You have enough disposable income to need something to spend it on. But instead of drugs, flashy cars or shady offshore investment situations, in the early 1970s Scottish singer/songwriter Al Stewart decided he’d literally put his money...
JD Souther Brings His Many Hits (and Memories) to Tomball

By Bob Ruggiero
Feb 9, 2023

In 1979, JD Souther released the lush, plaintive ballad “You’re Only Lonely,” which hit #7 on the Billboard Top 100 and #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts. But it wasn’t on these shores that he first realized he had a giant hit on his hands. “It had already peaked in...
Book Digs Deep into Iconic Pink Floyd Album for 50th Anniversary

By Bob Ruggiero
Dec 29, 2022

It is one of the most famous and enduring albums in the Classic Rock Canon. Listening to it for the first time whether it be on vinyl, CD, or Bluetooth speaker, is almost a teenage rite of passage. And who knows how many joint-and-bong smoking sessions it has soundtracked over...
A Golden Anniversary for the Wheat State Band Kansas

By Bob Ruggiero
Dec 23, 2022

During the initial flush of worldwide Beatlemania, Ringo Starr was asked by on camera what he planned on doing when their bubble eventually burst in a couple of years. With utter sincerity, he told the reporter that he planned on opening a chain of ladies’ hairdressing salons. After all, nobody...
Alice Cooper: Booking the Birthday Boy

By Bob Ruggiero
Dec 12, 2022

He’s long been lauded (or, depending on your point of view, condemned) for being “The Father of Shock Rock.” But this upcoming February 4 when he turns 75 years of age, he could up that title to “Grandfather.” Still, as recently as this year, Alice Cooper is out there many...
More, More, More on Paul McCartney

By Bob Ruggiero
Dec 9, 2022

Paul McCartney has been giving interviews—a lot of interviews—for more than 60 years. He’s been the main or partial subject of thousands of books published over decades on his career with both the Beatles and as a solo artist. Could there be anything more to say about the man known...
A Voodoo Child's Not-So-Slight Return

By Bob Ruggiero
Nov 18, 2022

There are a lot of estate organizers, trusts and conglomerations that look after the posthumous interests and product of rock stars. But Experience Hendrix, LLC, is the gold standard in terms of how it should be done, for the artist who died in 1970 at the age of 27. In...
New Book Analyzes the Anthems and Hit Songs Embedded in Our Minds

By Bob Ruggiero
Nov 14, 2022

It was 1970 or 1971 and Carly Simon was waiting in her apartment for a dinner date to arrive. He was running a bit late so the singer/songwriter—to calm her nerves—picked up a guitar and began to casually put together a song. Less than 20 minutes later when the doorbell...
Judas Priest! It's the Good Book According to Halford!

By Bob Ruggiero
Oct 17, 2022

When Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford released his autobiography in 2020, it really lived up to its title. In Confess, he charted not only his journey in one of the greatest and most influential heavy metal bands of all time, but also his incredible self-doubt, long periods of substance...
Accept This: Classic German Heavy Metal Comes Roaring Back

By Bob Ruggiero
Sep 29, 2022

During the pandemic, bands had to come up with creative ways to record and perform. The heavy metal men of Accept already had half a new record in the can before scattering, but months later they gathered in Nashville where leader/guitarist Wolf Hoffmann lived to finish the tracks. The problem...

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