On this day May 20, 1979 The Police and The Readymades played UC Davis Freeborn Hall.

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Roger Earl on Foghat’s 50-Plus-Year Career and Latest Album ‘Sonic Mojo’

Earl got his first break as a professional musician when he was hired to play drums for Savoy Brown in 1968 when he was 19. Over the course of two years, he recorded five albums with the band. “Savoy Brown Blues Band was a terrific band,” Earl says. “It was made for me, I think.” 

Earl made a risky move in 1970 when he and his Savoy Brown bandmates Dave Peverett and Tony Stevens decided to leave during the band’s peak in the U.S. and start their own band, Foghat.

Part of what made Foghat’s sound distinct in the era of ‘70s rock was the presence of the slide guitar played by Rod Price. “I think the way he played slide guitar really changed a lot of the ways the sort of songs we played and the way we play,” Earl raves of Price. “He was absolutely brilliant.” 

Though Peverett was the main songwriter of the group, Earl asserts that all the band members had input. A prime example of this is Foghat’s signature hit, “Slow Ride.”

Like many rock bands, Foghat experienced a series of lineup changes over the years. The 2023 lineup consists of Earl, the last remaining original member, lead singer Scott Holt, bassist Rodney O’Quinn, and guitarist Bryan Bassett. 

Foghat is continuing to give their fans those musical touchstones on their new album, “Sonic Mojo,” which was released on November 10.

The album holds a special place in Earl’s heart, as four of the dozen tracks were co-written by Kim Simmonds, the guitarist and founder of Savoy Brown who hired him to be in the band in 1967. Simmonds passed in December 2022 shortly after writing the songs that ended up on “Sonic Mojo.”

“I really am pleased with the way this record turned out,” adds Earl. “All of us listen to every kind of music, but the States is where all the music comes from. This is the land of music, they’re all interconnected.” 

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Tony Pigg, Celebrated D.J. of FM’s Golden Age, Dies at 85

The silky-voiced disc jockey who rode high during FM radio’s golden era — first supplying extended jams to the psychedelic underground on the seminal San Francisco radio station KSAN in the 1960s and later at the powerhouse rock station WPLJ in New York — died on April 26 at his home in Manhattan.

Tony Pigg was born Richard Joseph Quinn on April 11, 1939, in Sacramento to Philomena (Cantisano) Quinn, a court stenographer, and Joseph Quinn, a corrections officer and milkman. He studied art under the painter Wayne Thiebaud at California State University, Sacramento, and served a stint in the Army before deciding to pursue a career in radio.

He dropped out of college to get his radio license and, after honing his craft at stations in Winslow, Ariz., and his hometown, landed at KSAN, a soundtrack of San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury scene. It was there that his original “nom de disc,” as he called it — Tony (after a favorite uncle) Bigg (because he was 6-foot-4) — morphed into “Tony Pigg” after a colleague garbled “Bigg” during a meeting.

“It was funny, so I kept it,” he said in a 1983 interview with The Daily Item of Port Chester, N.Y. “Even though it was funny for about a week.”

Eschewing Top 40 playlists and breathless D.J. banter for deep album cuts and anti-establishment satire, KSAN served as a cradle for local bands like Jefferson Airplane, Santana and the Grateful Dead.
Mr. Pigg was particularly close to the Dead, whom he knew through his friend Owsley Stanley, who helped finance the band as well as warp their perceptions, thanks to the fabled LSD he produced.

In 1970, Mr. Pigg moved to New York to join WABC-FM, which soon became WPLJ. A staple of the metropolitan airwaves, it helped pioneer the album-oriented rock format, which focused on popular tracks from heavyweights like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie — basically classic rock before it was “classic.”

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How Tom Petty joined the Traveling Wilburys by accident

Out of all The Traveling Wilburys, it’s hard not to see Tom Petty as the new boy among legends. Sure, he had his fair share of hits to be considered a legend himself, but not many people could have held their own next to artists like George Harrison and Bob Dylan.

If Harrison had kept track of where all of his guitars were, though, chances are Petty would have been left out of one of the greatest supergroups of all time.

Then again, the entire formation of the band was purely coincidental. The only reason why Harrison got the idea in the first place was when he was working with Jeff Lynne on the album “Cloud Nine.”

At the same time, Lynne would never be a producer who stuck to just one artist. He was also working with Roy Orbison on a song with Petty called ‘You Got It,’ which Harrison believed was too good an opportunity to work with one of his idols.

When Harrison went to work on his new track, he realised that he was short one guitar, telling Runnin’ Down a Dream, “I thought, ‘Well, I’ll go in and do one real quick.’ We used Bob’s studio. My guitar was at Tom’s house for some reason, so there was a lot of strange coincidences.” Since Petty was home, Harrison figured he’d ask if his buddy wanted to come to the studio and maybe flesh out the song with him.

According to Petty, every line was made in a round-robin style, telling Martin Scorsese, “You’d always just throw a line out there, and then you’d everyone go, ‘NO’. And then another one would get thrown out, and you’d hear them, ‘Oh, that’s good. Yeah, I like that.’ Bob told George, ‘What’s the name of the song? You gotta have a name for it.’ And there was a crate on the other side of the room that said, ‘HANDLE WITH CARE’. And I witnessed him look over at the crate and say, ‘Oh, it’s called ‘Handle With Care’.”

Considering how much sonic sheen is put on Harrison, Orbison and Lynne throughout the whole record, hearing Petty’s uncanny drawl right next to Dylan keeps it from getting too saccharine half the time.

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The FBI’s report of Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead

Law enforcement was convinced that most of the band’s drug intake was causing various kids to succumb to the darker side of life and corrupt their minds. While you can’t arrest someone on suspicion of doing something illegal or morally questionable, the FBI did the next best thing by having various undercover agents dress up to blend in with the crowds.

According to various undercover agents, acts like Jefferson Airplane went against what the youth of America should be doing with their lives, but their most cutting criticism was for the Grateful Dead. Despite their reputation for being one of the biggest “druggy” bands of them all, the FBI went so far as to bring them up on charges, saying in a report that “LSD originates from San Francisco through a renowned rock group called the Grateful Dead.”

Granted, it’s not like the bands weren’t going to at least have some fun with the controversy. Since Jefferson Airplane frontwoman Grace Slick was friends with Richard Nixon’s daughter, she was invited to The White House around the same time, bringing with her activist Abbie Hoffman and allegedly arriving stocked with a few hits of acid in her pocket.

For all of the people trying to rid the world of dirty rock and roll, even the FBI later said that they were a bit too paranoid, saying, “It’s easy to say that it was a foolish time for unwarranted investigation, but I think you have to look at this in the context of the times”. If fans thought that was the last the government would get involved in music, oh boy, they would be mistaken.

As trends changed and artists started branching out in the coming decades, law enforcement did everything they could to keep the youth of the world behaving like good little sheep, including coming out with the Parental Advisory sticker in the 1980s and banning songs that they deemed to be too offensive.

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@ozzyosbourne Would “Jump at the Chance” to Perform with Black Sabbath Again Under One Condition

Black Sabbath bowed out with their The End Tour which kicked off in 2016 and came to an end in 2017. The touring lineup featured almost the entire original lineup of the band. Unfortunately, original drummer Bill Ward wasn’t present for the tour. As a result, Ozzy Osbourne says the band never really got closure. In his mind, it’s not over until he, Ward, Geezer Butler, and Tony Iommi take the stage together one last time.

“But I was sad because Bill wasn’t there. I mean, Toom Clufetos, my drummer did a great job. But he ain’t Bill Ward,” the heavy metal icon added. He went on to say that he feels that Black Sabbath’s story is still unfinished. “It wasn’t Black Sabbath that finished it. It’s unfinished. If they wanted to do one more gig with Bill, I would jump at the chance,” he proclaimed.

Black Sabbath has a history of nearly reuniting. However, contract negotiations typically end with someone else taking over Ward’s place behind the drum kit. For instance, three of the four original members came together for the 2013 album “13.” It was the first Sabbath album to feature Osbourne since “Never Say Die” (1978) and the first to feature Butler since “Cross Purposes” (1994). Bill Wilks, who previously played drums for Rage Against the Machine stepped in for Ward on the album.

While Ozzy Osbourne has retired from touring due to a myriad of health issues, he still plans to play one-off shows. So, barring contractual hiccups, it’s possible that Black Sabbath could get back together for a single show. However, Osbourne doesn’t envision a massive event. Instead, he has his eyes on something smaller.

“You know what would be cool? If we went to a club or somewhere unannounced and we just got up and did it,” he said. “We started up in a club.” Having the original members of Black Sabbath together on a club stage without much fanfare would be the perfect full-circle moment for the iconic band.

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Win tickets from Sacramento`s K-ZAP to the Australian Pink Floyd Show, We have several pairs of tickets to the see the biggest and most spectacular Pink Floyd Show on the planet at Hard Rock Live May 31st. To win just send an email to free@k-zap.org by Sunday midnight. Put Pink Floyd in the subject line. We’ll pick names Monday morning and let you know if you’ve won. Include your name and phone number, one entry per person, previous winners may be disqualified. The Australian Pink Floyd Show at Hard Rock Live May 31st. Tickets on sale Friday. Free music from K-ZAP! Tickets will be available Friday at 10AM at ticketmaster.com.

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Derek and the Dominos’ Bobby Whitlock to Receive Prestigious Honor in Hometown of Memphis

Bobby Whitlock, best known as a member of Eric Clapton’s short-lived 1970s band Derek and the Dominos, will be honored this Sunday, May 19, in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

Whitlock, who was born and raised in Memphis, will be inducted into the Beale Street Walk of Fame.

The ceremony will feature the unveiling of a brass musical note marker with Whitlock’s name on it. He joins more than 200 other luminaries who have been recognized with brass notes on Walk of Fame. Other inductees include Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Al Green, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, The Staple Singers, The Blues Brothers, and Sam & Dave.

Whitlock began his musical career as a teenager playing sessions at the famed Stax Records studio in Memphis. Among the artists he recorded with were Sam & Dave and Booker T. & the M.G.’s. In addition, he became the first white artist ever to sign a contract with Stax when he was just 16.

In 1968, he joined the group Delany & Bonnie and Friends, which is how he met Eric Clapton. Through his association with Clapton, he wound up contributing keyboards and backing vocals to George Harrison’s classic 1970 triple album “All Things Must Pass.”

That same year, Whitlock joined Clapton’s band Derek and the Dominos. He is credited with writing or co-writing seven of the 14 songs on the group’s sole studio album, “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.” Among them are “Bell Bottom Blues” and “Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?”

Whitlock also contributed to Clapton’s 1970 self-titled solo album and The Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street.”

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Did Humphrey Bogart Really Hog Joints? (And If Not, Why Do We Say ‘Bogart’?)

It comes, of course, from the actor Humphrey Bogart. But how the star of such venerated Hollywood classics as Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon came to be associated with weed in the first place is a lot foggier (and not just because of the ganja).

According to Green’s Dictionary of Slang, the term itself can have a few different meanings, including “to act aggressively, in a bullying manner,” or “to enter without invitation,” as cinema’s favorite sad-faced icon was wont to do. In the 1960s, if you barged your way through a crowd or shoved someone, you could have easily been accused of bogarting.

Its second, better-known meaning also originated in the 1960s with the rise of the counterculture. It was used to describe one who retained something selfishly, or more specifically, “to monopolize or smoke too much of a cannabis cigarette.” While the screen legend wasn’t known for being a midnight toker, he did have a rather notorious habit of having a cigarette permanently dangling from his lips, which is how the association took root.

But the term was really immortalized in the Fraternity Of Man song “Don’t Bogart Me,” which was used in 1969’s Easy Rider and featured the lyrics: “Don’t bogart that joint, my friend / Pass it over to me.”  

The meaning intended by the band wasn’t about smoking too much, however, but rather about hanging onto the joint for too long without smoking it. “The band was smoking some pot in our rehearsal house up in Laurel Canyon, when Elliot [Ingber, the band’s guitarist] turned to me and said, ‘Hey man, don’t bogart that thing,’” Fraternity Of Man vocalist Lawrence “Stash” Wagner told It’s Psychedelic Baby magazine in 2011. “I asked him, ‘What does ‘bogart’ mean?’ He said, ‘You know, like Humphrey Bogart always had a cigarette in his hand or hanging from his lips when talking. Well, you were hanging onto that joint while your lips were flapping.’ I said, ‘Cool, we should write a song using Bogart.’” 

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How Ronnie Montrose Stepped Into the Spotlight on ‘Montrose’

Montrose released their self-titled debut album in November 1973, overcoming a slow sales start to become one of the more influential and beloved albums in hard-rock history.

The band was named after guitarist Ronnie Montrose, who had previously played on albums by Van Morrison and the Edgar Winter Group.

It also marked the recorded debut of singer Sammy Hagar, who would go on to worldwide fame as a solo act and singer for Van Halen.

Montrose is a near-flawless eight-song collection of memorable riffs, impressively assured songwriting and strong vocal performances, featuring highlights such as “Rock the Nation,” “Space Station #5” and “Bad Motor Scooter.”

The album clearly had an impact on Hagar’s future Van Halen bandmates, who covered its closing track “Make It Last” during their early club days, then hired the same producer (Ted Templeman) and engineer (Donn Landee) to work on their own debut album.

After all these years, Hagar still looks back very fondly on Montrose, which also featured bassist Bill Church and drummer Danny Carmassi. “Yes, I do feel a lot of stuff for that album,” he told Ultimate Classic Rock. “And when I hear something like ‘Rock Candy’ or ‘Make It Last,’ you know, God, I just sound like this young kid. I just can’t believe that I’m as old as I am when I hear it, because I don’t feel any different.”

All four original members of Montrose reunited for the song “Leaving the Warmth of the Womb” on Hagar’s 1997 post-Van Halen solo album Marching to Mars.

Montrose died in March of 2012, and the following month Hagar, Carmassi and Church were joined by an all-star lineup including Joe Satriani, Neal Schon and others at a special tribute concert for the guitarist that was released on home video.

Hagar was also joined by his surviving former bandmates for mini-Montrose sets during his Four Decades of Rock tour. As he proudly notes, “I don’t quite sound the same, but I can still hit the notes, you know?”

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Paul McCartney and Wings bootleg One Hand Clapping finally gets an official release

“One Hand Clapping,” the legendary 1974 recording session by Paul McCartney and Wings. Never before released in any official capacity, fans will be able to own the jam-packed live album beginning June 14.

Described as “one of the most bootlegged live albums in musical history,” “One Hand Clapping” was recorded as McCartney and his post-Beatles outfit were enjoying the blockbuster success of their album “Band On The Run.”

Recorded at Abbey Road, the “One Hand Clapping” session was intended to be put out as a live album and a video documentary (directed by David Litchfield), but the audio was never officially released.

Some of the tracks found their way onto other releases over the years (like the 2010 “Band On The Run” reissue), but several have never been heard through official channels.

That includes renditions of Beatles songs like “Let It Be,” “Lady Madonna,” and “The Long And Winding Road,” The Moody Blues’ “Go Now” sung by Denny Laine, and the live studio version of Wings single “Hi Hi Hi.”

Physical formats of “One Hand Clapping” further include songs recorded off-camera during the same session, including the unreleased track “Blackpool” and a cover of “Twenty Flight Rock” (famous for being the first song McCartney played for John Lennon when they first met).

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On this day May 17, 1968 Big Brother & The Holding Company played Freeborn Hall at UCD Davis.

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Rock legend @davemasonmusic to reveal untold stories of addiction, feuds, music-making and more in new memoir

But Mason was also a co-founder of Traffic, for whom he wrote the original version of “Feelin’ Alright” and with whom he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Along the way, Mason, now 78 and a resident of southern California, recorded and performed live with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Rolling Stones, Derek and the Dominoes, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Graham Nash, Delaney & Bonnie, Phoebe Snow, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac and quite a few others. It’s the kind of career epic memoirs and documentaries are made of.

Mason has the latter on the way, in fact. In September he’ll publish a memoir, “Only You Know and I Know,” which promises previously untold stories (and photos) about his experiences — including a decades-long cocaine addiction, the loss of a child, a narrowly avoided plane crash while on tour, a lawsuit against his record company, getting kicked out of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr band and a standoff with the other members of Traffic at their Rock Hall induction ceremony.

Mason feels much the same about the music itself, despite an extensive discography with Traffic first, then solo starting with 1970′s “Alone Together” (re-recorded as “Alone Together, Again” in 2020). You’ll also find Mason on landmark albums such as Hendrix’s “Electric Ladyland” (notably acoustic guitar on “All Along the Watchtower”), the Rolling Stones’ “Beggar’s Banquet,” George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass,” Nash’s “Songs For Beginners” and “Wild Tales,” Wings’ “Venus and Mars,” the 40th anniversary edition of Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs,” and more.

And Mason is still doing it. He’s been working on a collection of blues covers called “A Shade of Blues,” which will feature guest appearances by Steve Cropper and Joe Bonamassa.

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The Beach Boys Hold ‘Family Reunion’ at ‘Surfin’ Safari’ Spot in Clip From Band’s Documentary

Director Frank Marshall brings Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and more back to Paradise Cove in upcoming Disney+ documentary about the trailblazing group.

Premiering on the 58th anniversary of the release of “Pet Sounds” — director Frank Marshall gathers the group’s Brian Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine at California’s Paradise Cover, where the cover of their 1962 debut album was captured; Marshall even conjured up the original surfboard featured on the cover.

“The fact that this group came along and put lyrics and harmony to surf music, the Beach Boys sound is the sound of joy, so I thought it would be sort of poetic for the Beach Boys getting together where it all started,” Marshall says in the clip.

“The whole day was so joyful and memorable, it was really like a family reunion.”

The Beach Boys was directed by Marshall and Thom Zimny and features new interviews with surviving members Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks, and Bruce Johnston.

There will also be contributions from former band members Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar, as well as the band’s contemporaries and artists they went on to inspire — like Lindsey Buckingham, Janelle Monáe, Ryan Tedder, and Don Was — plus archival interviews with late Beach Boys Carl and Dennis Wilson (who died in 1998 and 1983, respectively).

An official soundtrack featuring songs from the film will hit streaming services on May 24, the same day the documentary arrives on Disney+.

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