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Founding Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Billy Bass has died of unspecified causes at the age of 74, two days shy of his 75th birthday. P-Funk bandleader George Clinton shared the news on social media Monday morning. Earlier this month, Clinton noted that the group was keeping Bass "in our thoughts and in our hearts," again without mentioning any specifics. As a teenager, Bass (real name: William Nelson) worked for Clinton at a barbershop. He was recruited to back his boss's vocal group, then known as the Parliaments. In his 2014 autobiography, Clinton recalled how Bass helped him write the band's first big...

For years, the Eagles have had the bestselling U.S. album of all time. Now, the classic rock legends have made history once more, as Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975 becomes the first album to receive a quadruple diamond certification from the RIAA for U.S. sales exceeding 40 million. With this new certification, Eagles now lead the second-highest-certified RIAA album, Michael Jackson's 34x platinum Thriller, by 6 million units. The band also claims the third-bestselling album in RIAA history with Hotel California, which has been updated to 28 million certified units. Eagles' 'Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975' Has Been Making History for Decades...

It was the song that upgraded the band from album radio staples to simultaneous Top 40 stars.Have you heard the one about the absolute rock classic that became the 353rd No.1 single in U.S. chart history in January 1974 – then took 16 years to become the 650th in the U.K.? Even more bizarrely, another 11 years, the song was sampled on another British No.1. It’s the funny story of the Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker.” The classic single, written and produced by guitar hero and self-appointed “space cowboy” Miller himself, transformed the career of the Milwaukee-born guitar-slinger and his...

As their music became more complex, the group turned to a murderer’s row of session giants who helped make their songs sparkle. Here are just a few.When it comes to nailing down an album’s production, Steely Dan records have always been the gold (or, more accurately, platinum) standard. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were Steely Dan’s creative core, but plenty of their classic cuts tap the talents of stellar session players to kick things up to another level. As their music became more complex, Fagen and Becker turned to a murderer’s row of session giants who helped make their...

The song was recorded during the sessions for 1974's 'Queen II' and is now being released for the first timeQueen have released a never-before-heard Christmas song ‘Not For Sale (Polar Bear)’ – listen below. The track was recorded in 1974 during the sessions for the band’s second studio album ‘Queen II’, but it did not make the final cut. As they ready that record’s reissue, which is due in 2026, they have shared ‘Not For Sale (Polar Bear)’ in time for Christmas. Guitarist Brian May, who wrote the song for his previous band Smile, gave the song its premiere during...

Chris Rea, the rock singer who was best known for hits including “Driving Home For Christmas” and “Fool (If You Think It’s Over),” has died following a short illness. He was 74. “It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris,” a spokesperson for Rea’s wife and children told BBC News. “He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family.” Over a 50-year career, Rea became best known for hits including “Driving Home For Christmas” and “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)”. Born in Middlesbrough in the North...

Carl Carlton, Beloved R&B Hit Maker, Has Passed Away The Detroit native sang beloved R&B hits like ‘She’s A Bad Mama Jama’ and ‘Everlasting Love.’Carl Carlton, the singer behind beloved R&B hits like “She’s A Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked)” and “Everlasting Love,” has passed away. His son Carlton Hudgens II announced the passing in a message on Facebook, accompanied by a photo of his father with a microphone. “RIP Dad, Legend Carl Carlton singer of She’s a Bad Mama Jama,” he wrote. “Long hard fight in life and you will be missed.” Carlton suffered a stroke in...

It's the latest in her ongoing string of tributes to hometown heroes on the 'Radical Optimism' tourThe singer has been making a habit of covering a song from a local artist at every show on her current ‘Radical Optimism’ World Tour – which kicked off its North American leg at the start of last month. Last week (October 4), Dua Lipa brought her ‘Radical Optimism’ tour to Los Angeles, where she paid tribute to Fleetwood Mac by performing a cover of their 1977 hit ‘The Chain’. Introducing the track, Lipa said to the audience: “During this tour, I’ve taken the...

Tom Shipley of Brewer & Shipley, the duo best known for the 1971 Top 10 hit "One Toke Over the Line," has died of unspecified causes at the age of 84. The New York Times confirmed the news with Shipley's son Marc, who said his father died on Aug. 24 at a hospital in Columbia, Missouri. Shipley's duo partner Mike Brewer died in 2024. The band's biggest hit, which humorously chronicles a real-life incident when Shipley indulged in a bit too much marijuana, wasn't initially intended for release. "'One Toke Over the Line' was a song we wrote to amuse...

The funk group’s September 1974 chart entry debuted even higher than Hot 100 resident Elton John’s ‘The Bitch Is Back.’The funk and soul group from Dayton, in the state that inspired their name, were hot as a pistol in 1974. The Ohio Players had wriggled to the top of the R&B chart the year before with their “Funky Worm,” a Top 15 crossover pop success, and now they were reaching both audiences again with a new success, “Skin Tight.” The album of the same name had entered the chart in April, and the single started its ascent of the...

Feeling nostalgic for a simpler time lately? You’re not alone. Here’s one thing everybody who was alive during the 1970s can agree on: The entire decade still feels like it only happened yesterday. Seriously, how can the ’70s be five decades in the past? It’s just not possible that the era ruled by bell-bottom jeans and 8-track cassettes was half a century ago. For those of us who lived through it—and survived that groovy yet perilous time—it will forever be a part of our souls. Here are 50 things you still remember from the decade that will fill you with...

Authorities in Tennessee announced Friday that they believe a sheriff who inspired the movie "Walking Tall" is responsible for his wife's death in 1967. During a news conference Friday, officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said there were "inconsistencies" in statements from Sheriff Buford Pusser following the 1967 murder of his wife, Pauline. “It’s been said that the dead can’t cry out for justice. It is the duty of the living to do so. In this case, that duty has been carried out 58 years later,” said District Attorney General Mark Davidson for the 25th Judicial District. Blood splatter...

Singer Gloria Gaynor‘s recent financial support for Republican politicians seemingly made her the perfect candidate for the upcoming Kennedy Center Honors hosted by President Donald Trump. According to Federal Election Commission records, the Grammy winner known for the disco anthem “I Will Survive” donated nearly $22,000 to right-wing politicians and groups from August 2023 to June of this year. The records show Gaynor — under her birth name Gloria Fowles — donated hundreds or thousands of dollars to the campaigns for Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley,...

The song was a musical tour de force by the 23-year-old Motown genius, who survived a serious accident just after its release.The song was a musical tour de force by the 23-year-old Motown genius, who survived a serious accident just after its release. Stevie Wonder always did make his songwriting genius sound easy. On August 18, 1973, “Higher Ground,” from the uniformly brilliant album Innervisions, entered the Hot 100. On September 29, it topped the Billboard R&B chart and had fans and fellow artists In awe. As for Stevie himself? “I did the whole thing in three hours,” he later...

Their new US hit of August 1979 was a song that had been very good to some of the group 11 years earlier.Some songs are locked in their era, while others update themselves and reach another generation. On August 11, 1979, the Atlanta Rhythm Section were hitting the American chart with a number that had been very good to some of the group 11 years earlier, and even that was an adaptation of an instrumental original. The word for all of that is “Spooky.” The song was co-written by Mike Shapiro, who as pop-jazz alto saxophonist Mike Sharpe, recorded the...

Daryl Hall and John Oates have resolved their dispute over Oates’ plan to sell his half of their joint venture to Primary Wave Music. Court documents filed Aug. 11 reveal the legal back-and-forth between the duo has now been privately resolved, without any additional information on their deal. The pair started litigation in 2023 when Hall launched arbitration seeking to block Oates from selling his stake in Whole Oats Enterprises — this includes the band’s name and likeness rights as well as royalties — to Primary Wave. Primary Wave has become a music-catalog marketing powerhouse over the past 15 years,...

The F1 champion Niki Lauda had a horrifying accident in Germany in August 1976, 49 years ago this week. He was not expected to live, let alone race again. After defying all expectations, he told the BBC in 1977 how he willed himself to stay alive. When Formula 1 racing driver Niki Lauda spoke to the BBC in 1977, his face bore testimony to the trauma he had endured during the German Grand Prix. Trapped inside the burning wreckage of his smashed Ferrari on the Nürburgring circuit, Lauda had been badly scarred and had lost part of his ear to...

George Kooymans, a cofounding member of Golden Earring whose vocals and guitar were staples of the band's sound, has died at the age of 77. News of Kooyman's death comes courtesy of an attorney associated with the group, which called it quits in 2021 following the news of Kooyman's ALS diagnosis. "We say goodbye to a great musician and composer whose work extended beyond Golden Earring," reads the short statement released to the press via Kooyman's family. "George was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, but above all, a friend." "Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the other band...

Imagine if Billy Joel had joined Deep Purple instead of writing "Piano Man." In a sense, that's what happened when he formed his ill-fated heavy metal band Attila in 1969. He and collaborator Jon Small had already been in another band together, the Hassles. Though the Long Island group had scored a deal with United Artists Records, after two unsuccessful albums in 1967 and 1969, Small and Joel were frustrated. The pair felt that they were more serious about music than their bandmates. They decided to break away and move in a different direction. Where Did the Idea for Attila...

On July 18, 1974, the former Beatle was officially told (again) to get out of the United States.Considering the latter-day, beloved status that John Lennon enjoyed as a world citizen who promoted peace and harmony, it almost beggars belief that on July 18, 1974, the former Beatle was officially told (again) to get out of the United States. That was the day newspapers reported that Lennon had been told by the Board of Immigration Appeals that he had until September 10 to leave the country or face deportation. Not exactly the news he wanted to hear, as he set to...