After 5pm ET, I'll put all my followers in a hat (this means if you're already following me, you're automatically entered) and I'll draw a winner. I'll send a Tweet announcing the winner and we'll work out the shipping details privately. Anyone in the world is eligible - you don't need to be a U.S. resident.
Stevie Nicks is one of the most successful female singers of all time - and that's why she lands in the winner's spot on our countdown of the top seven women in rock. Nicks is best known for her time with Fleetwood Mac, but she's also had a very long and successful solo career. With Fleetwood Mac, Stevie recorded the album Rumours - considered by many to be one of the finest rock albums - period.
Some of Stevie's best known songs include "Gold Dust Woman," "Gypsy" and "Landslide."
With Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Nick's has also recorded with a lot of cool people, including Bret Michaels, Tico Torres and Jon Bon Jovi. Plus, Stevie influenced a ton of younger female singers, including Sheryl Crow and Kelly Clarkson. Above all else, she's pretty much stayed true to her own image, creating a signature sound that is undeniable.
You have to see this amazing footage of "Gold Dust Woman" from 1981.
Sad news tonight for members of the Hairball Nation. Listeners of the Hairball John Radio Show certainly know the Acid Chimp, Alan Schafer. Chimpy died June 22nd from a heart attack. He was 37.
Schafer was a dedicated side kick to Hairball John, providing funny commentary and stories during the weekly shows. The Hairball John Radio Show has been on hiatus for several months. John writes,"The future of The Hairball John Radio Show will be evaluated over the next couple of weeks, but at this time I mourn the loss of a very close friend and genuinely good man."
For more information on the Hairball John Radio Show, click here.
Ann and Nancy Wilson are two rocking sisters – and together they comprise the core of Heart. For that reason, the Wilson sisters share the number two spot on our countdown of the top seven women in rock.
Heart formed in the 1970s and went on to make a splash in the hard rock world – not something common then for a group fronted by women. Heart churned out some amazing singles, especially “Alone,” “Crazy on You,” “These Dreams,” “What About Love?” and “Barracuda.”
Many female artists have covered Heart songs over the years – and “Alone” is an American Idol staple for female hopefuls with a rock edge.
Heart is currently on tour – some dates are with Journey.
It’s pretty clear Joan Jett rules and that is why she comes in at number three on our countdown of the top women in rock.
Jett was a member of The Runaways and launched a successful rock career in the 1980s – both solo and with her band, The Blackhearts. Joan’s probably best known for her mega-hit cover “I Love Rock n’ Roll,” “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and “Bad Reputation.”
Joan not only sings better than you – she can also wail on a guitar. Rolling Stone even put her on their “Top 100 Guitarist of All Time” list. Plus, Joan is a monster song writer.
A couple summers back, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts hit the road with Alice Cooper and Motorhead. I'm sure that was one hell of a tour!
There really isn’t anyone bigger in the music world than Michael Jackson.
People become fascinated with celebrity: bigger than life stars that lead seemingly much better lives than our own. It’s always fun to dream of being rich and famous: owning a private jet, buying fancy clothes, traveling the world. And yet, celebrities lack one thing the rest of us have in abundance: privacy.
Michael Jackson lived his life running from the cameras. He had millions of rabid fans and most would do anything to meet him. Jackson responded to his fame in weird ways to be sure. There was the plastic surgery, the skin issues, the Elephant Man...and the child molestation allegations. Those molestation allegations set to derail Jackson and his career – but really nothing will be able to cancel his legacy when it comes to his place in music history.
At his core, Michael Jackson was all about the music - and the money that came from it. Everything else was all secondary – and tabloid reporters were nearly rabid in their efforts to gain a juicy scoop on Jackson. In all those tabloids reports of Jackson’s eccentricity – his musical talents and all those Grammy Awards were forgotten.
We shouldn’t forget Jackson’s immense talent. In fact, he’s a once in a lifetime talent. A brilliant manipulator or both pop and rock. He was able to mold pop harmonies with rock guitar to create a bridge between the two genres. Metal fans might not point to Jackson as a favorite artist – but most of the musicians I’ve interviewed specifically list him by name as an influence.
As the news of Jackson’s death broke and details started to unfolded, I watched the news like everyone else – and then I went to work, reaching out to musicians and publicists to get their opinion on the matter. Jackson leaves behind an immense catalog of work. He was a pop culture icon, and deservedly so. The self-proclaimed King of Pop was about to embark on a 50 city European tour that sold out in seconds. Not many acts sell out shows these days – let alone in under a minute.
Of course, the days ahead will be most interesting. After the shock is over and news dissipates – the focus will shift to Jackson’s kids and his estate. Clearly, a long legal battle will ensue and the kids will most likely be bandied about in every different direction. That’s the real tragedy here.
Let’s not forget Jackson recorded with some of the musicians we love – especially Steve Stevens and Slash. A couple hours after Jackson’s death, Slash Tweeted “Really sad news about Michael, he was a talent from on high.” See, true music lovers appreciate talent across genres. Thank Glam we have so much music to enjoy.
This whole business with Adam Lambert, Hi Fi Recordings/Wilshire and the album On With the Show is getting way out of hand. I haven’t talked about the Adam “pre album” until now because I largely think the entire situation is crap: a small label trying to cash in on someone’s very hard earned fame.
Now, it’s time to talk, so let’s get all of you up to speed.
Last week or so, John Hecker, CEO of The Music Publishing Company of America announced his label, Hi Fi Recordings, was pleased to “release Adam Lambert’s debut album called On With the Show.”
Adam is signed with RCA/19 Entertainment, thanks to his amazing run on American Idol. His RCA debut is due in the fall.
The first single from On With the Show is called “Want,” which Adam recorded as a session singer. He received a flat payment for that work and didn’t write the song. Of course Adam’s voice is awesome on the track – the guy can sing the phonebook – but it isn’t rock star Adam. The surprise release of this material forced Adam to issue a statement.
Fans are ticked and have banded together, basically boycotting Hecker, Hi Fi/Wilshire and the single “Want.”
Now, things are murkier.
Someone with Hi Fi leaked a memo – written two days ago – to TMZ.com. The memo shows the track final listing and publishing splits for On With the Show. Why was the label *just* finishing the track listing two days ago when Hecker and his cronies were talking about the amazing songs all along? Fans have wanted nothing to do with On With the Show because it’s unclear if Adam would receive royalty payment. Suddenly, the track listing emerges – and the CD will be full of songs written by Adam and his friend Monte Pittman. (Pittman is a former member of Prong and a current guitarist for Madonna). So – this complicates everything. Those songs – “Crawl Through Fire,” “Kiss and Tell,” and “15 Minutes of Fame” (which is most likely the new title of “Pop Goes the Camera”) are big with Adam’s hardcore fans. He’s had those songs on his Myspace for a long time – they were demos he was using to get a record deal.
So it seems Hecker decided “Want” wasn’t selling enough copies via iTunes so they had to rearrange songs to make the album seem more legit and to make Adam sound like a liar. After all, why would Adam release a statement saying he was simply singing songs written by someone else? He’s always been proud of the work he’s done with Pittman in the past, so I see no reason to disavow those songs now. Something here just doesn’t add up. Seems like Hi Fi is trying to cash in. Funny how they didn’t want to release an album of Adam’s songs *before* he was on American Idol.
Monday, June 29, 2009 at 08:00AM 
