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  • Rolling Stones Saxophonist Dies at 70

    Rolling Stones Saxophonist Dies at 70

    Bobby Keys, the legendary saxophonist who toured and appeared on albums with the Rolling Stones, passed away on Tuesday at his Franklin, Tennessee home, after battling a lengthy illness. He was 70.

    Known for his blistering solos, most notably on the Rolling Stones’ 1971 hit “Brown Sugar,” Keys also at times led the horn section when the band went into the studio or toured. Keys played on every Stones record from 1969 until 1974 and from 1980 to his death, and played live on all tours since 1970.

    Born in Slaton, Texas in 1943, Keys began performing as a teenager, and played with Buddy Holly, John Lennon, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

    The band said in a statement, “The Rolling Stones are devastated by the loss of their very dear friend and legendary saxophone player, Bobby Keys. Bobby made a unique musical contribution to the band since the 1960s. He will be greatly missed.”

    Keys was also a close friend of Stones guitarist Keith Richards. There is footage of him and Richards throwing a television set from the 10th floor of a hotel during the 1972 American Tour, as seen in the Stones’ unreleased 1972 concert movie Cocksucker Blues.

    Richards penned a small eulogy:

    The Rolling Stones – “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,” featuring Bobby Keys:

    Keys once told Rolling Stone Magazine that he never learned to read music. “That’s not where I come from musically. I come strictly from feeling, and that feeling comes from rock ‘n’ roll,” the musician remarked.

    Keys once related his struggles with heroin addiction in the autobiography Every Night’s a Saturday Night. Nashville rock veteran Michael Webb said Keys had a liver condition and had been in and out of the hospital over the past two months.

  • Rolling Stones Death: Saxophonist Bobby Keys Dies at 70

    Bobby Keys, the legendary saxophonist for The Rolling Stones, died early Tuesday at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. He was 70.

    Michael Webb, the keyboardist in Keys’ band, the Suffering Bastards, announced Keys’ death. Suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, Keys missed the Stones’ October and November tour dates in Australia and New Zealand and was replaced by veteran saxophonist Karl Denson.

    Keys began his career with Buddy Holly when he was only 16. Throughout his career, he worked with an eclectic group of musicians, which included John Lennon, B.B. King, Maroon 5, George Harrison, AC/DC, Barbra Streisand and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

    It was his highly recognizable solo on The Rolling Stones‘ 1971 classic, Brown Sugar, that helped solidify a lasting name for himself in the music industry.

    Post by Bobby Keys.

    The Rolling Stones released a statement, and posted it on Twitter, on Tuesday following the announcement of his death.

    Keith Richards, with whom Keys shares the same birthdate, Dec. 18,1943, posted his own tribute on Facebook.

    Post by Keith Richards.

    Born in Slaton, Texas, Keys found his inspiration to take up the sax in R&B sax legend King Curtis.

    Keys first encountered The Rolling Stones at a San Antonio concert while touring with Bobby Vee in 1964. He made his recording debut with the band on the 1969 album, Let It Bleed, and was featured on every subsequent album by the band through 1974’s It’s Only Rock and Roll.

    Keys was dropped by the band in 1973 because of his heavy partying and it wasn’t until the 1989’s Steel Wheels tour that he returned to the band.

    Despite giving up the majority of drugs and alcohol, Keys continued to smoke marijuana regularly.

  • Marianne Faithfull Claims Drug-Dealing Ex-Boyfriend ‘Killed’ Jim Morrison

    British singer Marianne Faithfull claims her drug-dealing ex-boyfriend “killed” Jim Morrison after accidentally supplying him with heroin that was too strong.

    Faithfull, the former girlfriend of Mick Jagger, told music magazine MOJO she is now the only person alive “connected” to Morrison’s death, claiming she was in Paris with her drug-dealing boyfriend the summer The Doors frontman died.

    Faithfull, who co-wrote the Rolling Stones song Sister Morphine told the magazine the late drug dealer, Jean de Breiteuil, was to blame for Morrison’s untimely death on July 3, 1971, at the age of 27.

    Faithfull, who also struggled with drug issues, said she traveled to Paris in the summer of 1971 with de Breiteuil.

    Upon their arrival in Paris, Faithfull claims de Breiteuil told her he was paying a visit to Morrison’s apartment. Having a bad feeling about the visit, Faithfull said she chose to stay in her own hotel room taking downers rather than accompany de Breiteuil to the apartment.

    “I could intuitively feel trouble,” she recalls. “I thought, I’ll take a few Tuinal and I won’t be there. And he went to see Jim Morrison and killed him. I mean I’m sure it was an accident. Poor bastard. The smack was too strong? Yeah. And he died. And I didn’t know anything about this. Anyway, everybody connected to the death of this poor guy is dead now. Except me.”

    Although no autopsy was ever performed, Morrison is believed to have died from a heroin overdose.

    Official reports said he had a heart attack in the bath. The coroner did not suspect foul play so did not order an autopsy.

    The mystery surrounding Morrison’s death lingers amid conflicting tales of the singer’s last days and a slew of conspiracy theories.

    Morrison’s girlfriend at the time, Pamela Courson, said he woke coughing in the night before heading into the bathroom to soak in the tub. Another friend claimed he died in the bathroom of a nightclub after an overdose and his body was moved to his apartment in a cover-up.

    De Breiteuil also died of an overdose in 1971, not long after Morrison’s death.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • The Rolling Stones Pay Tribute to Bobby Womack

    The Rolling Stones paid tribute in word and song to legendary R&B singer Bobby Womack, who died from colon cancer and diabetes on Friday at the age of 70.

    The Stones posted a message over the weekend on their website describing the influence Womack had on their music.

    “Bobby Womack was a huge influence on us,” the note reads. “He was a true pioneer of soul and R&B, whose voice and songwriting touched millions. On stage, his presence was formidable. His talents put him up there with the greats. We will remember him, first and foremost, as a friend.”

    Sonya Kolowrat — Womack’s publicist — announced the singer’s death on Friday. The cause of his death is not yet known but the musician was said to have recently received additional treatment for colon cancer.

    The British rock band had close ties with Womack and his music beginning in 1964 when the rock band released a cover of a song originally recorded by Womack’s group The Valentinos — It’s All Over Now — which became a huge hit for the Stones.

    Ten years following the release of It’s All Over Now, Womack collaborated with Ronnie Wood on his second solo album, Now Look.

    The Stones had another hit in 1986 with Harlem Shuffle, a song that featured Womack’s vocals.

    Wood, who inducted Womack into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, tweeted his own message.

    On Saturday, the band paid musical homage to the artist by playing It’s All Over Now at a concert in Brussels.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Marianne Faithfull Hospitalized with Broken Hip

    Singer and songwriter Marianne Faithfull was on vacation in Greece when she fell and broke her hip Friday. The extent of her injury required hospitalization and surgery on Sunday, according to a surgeon.

    The British native apparently fell on the Eastern Aegean island of Rhodes.

    “Mrs Faithfull fractured her hip as a result of a fall. She underwent a successful surgery. Tomorrow, we will try to help her get up and we assess she needs to stay in hospital for about a week”, Alexandros Pittas, the orthopedic surgeon that operated on the singer told AFP.

    The 67-year-old pop and rock singer — and ex-lover of Rolling Stones‘ frontman, Mick Jagger — became a star in the sixties and seventies with the first song ever written by Jagger and Keith Richards, As Tears Go By. They apparently gave it to Faithfull because in the early days, the Rolling Stones didn’t perform ballads. However, after the success of the song by Faithfull, they recorded their own version.

    Faithfull’s five-decade career in music — as well as some film and stage acting — often took a backseat to stories of drug abuse and a difficult personal life.

    She has also battled various health issues, including breast cancer, Hepatitis C and a broken back she suffered in August 2013, which forced her to cancel several shows.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Keith Richards Celebrates Another Birthday

    And here I thought the only person I needed to wish a “Happy Birthday” to today was going to be my best friend (Shout out Heather!), but it seems I need to send one to The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards.

    The famed rocker turned 70 Wednesday, and many didn’t think he would make it this far thanks to his life of excess – drugs, alcohol and his love of cigarettes. He himself has even said, “I was number 1 on the who’s likely to die list for 10 years … I was really disappointed when I fell off that list.”

    But aging isn’t something that seems to bother Richards, “We age not by holding on to youth, but by letting ourselves grow and embracing whatever youthful parts remain.”

    December 18 isn’t just special to Richards because it’s his birthday, it also happens to be his 30th wedding anniversary. On this date in 1983 Richards married Patti Hansen. Richards and the former model have two daughters together. Richards also has three children from a former relationship with Italian actress Anita Pallenberg.

    Many have already taken to Twitter to wish Richards a “Happy Birthday.”

    If you would like to wish Richards a “Happy Birthday” you can take to Twitter or you can go to his website to wish him one or even congratulate him on his 30th anniversary to his wife Patti.

    Richards will soon be embarking on the “14 on Fire” tour with his Rolling Stones bandmates – Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood. The tour will also include Mick Taylor as a special guest. Taylor played with The Rolling Stones from 1969 to 1974. The tour begins in Abu Dhabi on February 21.

    It seems Richards will never give up rock and roll, and fans couldn’t be happier about it. In Richards’ 2010 autobiography Life he said, “People say ‘why don’t you give it up?’ I don’t think they quite understand. I’m not doing it just for the money, or for you. I’m doing it for me.”

    Image via Richards’ official Twitter account.

  • Mick Jagger, Rolling Stones’ Frontman: Great Grandfather To Be

    Mick Jagger, a British rock and roll pioneer, has had his career span 50 years, and has been active with the well-known rock group The Rolling Stones since the 1960’s. With such a vibrant musical career, AllMusic.com hails Jagger as “half of one of the greatest songwriting teams of all time, a bluesy, rocking original.”

    While sustaining his celebrated musical career, Jagger has also had to balance a family within his life, and this week, the world-famous rock star received the news that he will soon become a great grandfather.

    News broke earlier this week that Assisi (21) will be expecting her first child to be born in 2014. Assisi is the daughter of Jade, who is a Fashion Designer (Source: IBTimes), and is also Jagger’s daughter from his first marriage with Bianca De Marcias.

    According to The Daily Mirror, Assisi is three months pregnant, and she and her boyfriend Alex have been dating for over a year. An inside source also told The Daily Mirror the following statement.

    “She [Assisi] and Alex are thrilled and broke the news to their immediate families last week. Jade was a little taken aback at first, not least because it means she will be a grandmother by the age of 42.”

    This marks another big milestone for Jagger. Earlier this year, he turned 70 years old, and also had a lock of hair sell at auction for $6,000. Even with these facts in mind, do not expect his musical career to slow down anytime soon. The inside source also stated “He [Jagger]’s been joking about becoming a great, great, grandad and still performing.”

    [Image source: Twitter]

  • Katy Perry, Jagger Sing Duet at Stones Concert

    The Rolling Stones are still touring and still releasing albums. Meanwhile, the band has managed to stay relevant by using social media to keep its fans engaged and attracting some of the hottest new music stars in the business.

    This weekend, The Rolling Stones rocked the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with a sold-out crowd. The band’s special guest of the night was none other than pop star Katy Perry, who sang a duet with Mick Jagger. The song the two sang – “Beast of Burden” – was chosen by fans using the Rolling Stones’ official mobile app.

    Perry was obviously thrilled to sing and dance with the legendary band. She tweeted out her thanks to The Rolling Stones on Sunday, complete with pictures:

    (Image courtesy J. Bouquet/The Rolling Stones)

  • The Rolling Stones Get Cheeky With Their 404 Error Page

    Clever 404 error pages are a dime a dozen on the interwebs – and for good reason. If you’re going to disappoint someone searching for a particular page on your site, you might as well entertain them in the process.

    But in a world overpopulated with clever (and not-so-clever) error pages, this might be my favorite.

    If you come across a non-existent page over at The Rolling Stones’ official website, Mick and the boys will calmly let you know that you can’t always get what you want – complete with a video of the famous song and all:

    The video is a live performance from 2003 at London’s Twickenham Stadium. Of course, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is one of the most revered track in rock history, having first appeared in 1969 on the Stones’ seminal album Let it Bleed. Yesterday, the band celebrated the 50th anniversary of their first concert ever – July 12th, 1962 at The Marquee Club in London.

    Thanks for the life lesson, Mick.

    [via Laughing Squid]

  • Mad Men: The Real Rolling Stones Jingle

    Mad Men: The Real Rolling Stones Jingle

    Business Insider raised an interesting point about last night’s episode of Mad Men. In the episode Don Draper tries to get The Rolling Stones to sing a jingle for Heinz Baked Beans titled “Heinz is on My Side.”

    This sounds a bit ridiculous, but it isn’t far from the truth. On the show, Draper tells a fan the Stones did an English cereal ad. The ad is real. Hear Mick Jagger sing about “the crackle in your face” in this 1963 advertisement for Rice Krispies.

    The Stones never did an ad for Heinz Baked Beans, but The Who did, in parody at least. They released this jingle on their 1967 album The Who Sells Out to spoof their own commercial appeal. The band did real life ads, though not for Heinz.

    (image)@louchelarue
    Sean Howe    So is this going to be the “Zou Bisou” of the first week of April? http://t.co/BECGLJNh #MadMen(image) 13 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    This Tweet from writer Sean Howe is a reference to the previous episode of Mad Men that was much talked about for this awkward performance by Mrs. Draper.

  • Glee Digital Says Exceed 500,000

    Coming on the heels of its mid-season April premiere, the music themed-TV show "Glee" saw digital downloads from its four compilations jump from 51,000 to 359,000, according to new data from Nielsen.

    The program’s latest "Showstoppers" album topped the Billboard charts this week as digital sales of "Glee" songs surpassed 500,000. Songs from the show posted 4.1 million track sales in 2009 and 3.2 million so far in 2010.

    Glee-sales

    "This is an interesting and vibrant time for the entertainment industry, music in particular, with the top four albums this week outselling last week’s number one," said Eric Weinberg, President,Nielsen Entertainment.

     
    "We continue to see solid consumer demand for digital music sales, including full-length albums, with more than 40% of this week’s best selling album purchased digitally. Our data also shows independent retail music store sales up 10% for the week, driven by the reissue of the Rolling Stones’ classic ‘Exile On Main Street’ and new albums debuting from the Black Keys, Damian Marley & Nas, Band of Horses and LCD Soundsystem, and the attraction for vinyl remains high."