THE MOODY BLUES: Reunion on the way at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony
When The Moody Blues are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next week they will be joined by keyboardist and singer Mike Pinder.
Pinder, who now lives in northern California, was an original member of the band but left in 1978, following the Octave album. As he is not in the best of health, he is not expected to perform with the band that night.
The Moodies are scheduled to do two songs, one by Justin Hayward and one by John Lodge. No word if original member Denny Laine, who was added to the group's induction after Steve Van Zandt made a stink, will perform, although perhaps that's why Van Zandt has been announced as a special guests that night.
Ann Wilson of Heart will induct The Moody Blues.
DIRE STRAITS: Who will induct them at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony?
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has yet to announce who will induct Dire Straits at the ceremony in Cleveland on April 14th.
Mark Knopfler talked about Dire Straits' election to the Rock Hall and he was asked who he would like to be inducted by. Unfamiliar with the Hall's process, he simply named two legendary acts he's worked with.
"I've had the pleasure of working with so many people .. and toured and, you know, just done a lot of different odds and ends with Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton -- a few different people."
Knopfler and original Dire Straits drummer Pick Withers played on Dylan's 1979 album, Slow Train Coming. Knopfler also played on and produced his 1983 album, Infidels.
He's played with Clapton numerous times, including a late-'80s stint in his touring band.
BON JOVI: Big time at their Dallas show last week
More times than not, headlining acts are not overly supportive of their opening acts. But Jon Bon Jovi went above and beyond to support an opening act on the Bon Jovi tour last week in Dallas.
The Texas trio, Contagious, are high school sophomores so Jon wrote a note to their school asking that they be excused in order to be able to perform.
It said, "To whom it may concern, Please excuse the members of The Contagious (Mac Johnson, Cayden Diebold and Jake Douglas) for being absent from school on Monday, March 26th, 2018. They were busy being my opening act -- and kicking butt -- in Dallas, Texas at American Airline Center. Sincerely, Jon Bon Jovi"
Jon is not the first New Jersey singer to do such a thing. In 2016, Bruce Springsteen signed a note written by a young fan's father explaining why his son would be late for school the day after a Bruce concert. Later that year, Bruce signed off on a letter written by a parent who took his son to a Springsteen book signing.
GARY WRIGHT: Remembers his Spooky Tooth bandmate
Gary Wright remembers his Spooky Tooth bandmate Mike Harrison, who died in March, as a "great singer."
Gary said, "He had a fabulous voice. And the two of us working together, was really, really good. I didn't see him for many years and every now and then, I'd call him just to see what was going on -- after we'd done the live Spooky Tooth album together, which, by the way, was called No Mad Poets."
Wright, who now calls L.A. home, is happy that he, Harrison and Mike Kellie reunited for the shows that became their No Mad Poets album:
"It was three of the people from Spooky Tooth -- it was myself, Mike Harrison, the other lead singer, and Mike Kellie, the drummer. We did two live shows and we took the material out of both, put out an album [and] a DVD. And it turned out good."