rock and roll hall of fame inductions

The 20th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Awards were highlighted Monday night by Ireland's U2, which topped a list of inductees that included the Pretenders, the O'Jays, Buddy Guy, and Percy Sledge.

Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders jokingly summed up the event at the Waldorf-Astoria ballroom by saying the score was ''Ohio 2, Ireland 1," since the Pretenders and the O'Jays were both from that Midwestern state.

On a night when The Pretenders, The O'Jays, Percy Sledge and blues legend Buddy Guy received keys to rock's exclusive club, U2 was clearly the star attraction.

"They are the keepers of some of the most beautiful sonic orchestration in rock and roll," said while being inducted by Bruce Springsteen.
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Speaking of the Boss...
New Jersey's Asbury Park Press reports that Bruce Springsteen was rehearsing at Asbury Park's Paramount Theater last week in preparation for a tour supporting his forthcoming album, "Devils & Dust."

After a four-hour rehearsal that reportedly included E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren, Springsteen signed some autographs.

Dates for the tour--which Springsteen is expected to embark upon without the E Street Band--are still being finalized, but the new album is due April 26.
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classic rusty bladen mp3 available FREE online

Recorded live in the WORX studios in Rusty's hometown of Madison, Indiana, "Don't Blame it on Me" was originally broadcast live in January, 1990. Rusty was the show's musical guest, and played eight songs. At the time, Rusty was still two years away from recording his debut CD Are You Happy Now? and had just recently recorded a full-band studio version of "Don't Blame it On Me" for WORX, and that recording had been getting steady airplay, leading to the appearance you will hear.

The version you can download (size: aprox 4 mb) was recorded during the "Sunday Night Recliner" program that aired 9pm-midnight each Sunday in 1990. It was a program that played a mix of Americana/roots rock tunes and deep album cuts. Rusty is joined in the radio studio by percussionists Berry Burleson and Termie Walters.
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Enjoy.

roots rock news/update

Roots Rock We Like: Reckless Kelly
The five guys in Reckless Kelly have one main goal: "We want to get a bus," says lead singer and principal songwriter Willy Braun. "That's been the main goal of the band since we've started."

There's some elbow nudging among the other four guys until Braun adds one more thing: "Well, eventual world domination is the ultimate goal."

Talking to Reckless Kelly - one of Texas' most popular exports on the national roots-rock club scene -- is a lot like this. First you get a straight answer and then you get a funny answer. Or maybe it's the other way around.

Asked to describe a typical day in the life of the band, Braun says, "We wake up, hit the gym, put in some community service at the church or the local shelter. Giving back, basically. And then we hit church."

Everybody cracks up, but then he gives the real story. "Lately, we've been getting up driving somewhere, doing some radio interviews, go to a soundcheck, grab a bite to eat. Have a few cocktails, do the show and do it all over again."
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Black Crowes Reunite
What started out as a handful of getting-to-know-you (again) dates, has grown into a full-blown reunion tour for Southern rockers the Black Crowes.

Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson will take the stage with a number of old bandmates and a few new faces for their first shows since October 2001. Following a previously announced sold-out seven-night residency at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom in March (see "Black Crowes To Reunite — For Five Shows, At Least"), the band will play 24 headlining shows and festivals through a June 11 date at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, with more shows expected to follow, according to a spokesperson for the group.
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Funeral Services Set for Son of Carter Family Founders
Funeral services will be held Sunday (March 6) for Joe Dougherty Carter, 78, the last living link to the original Carter Family's historic Bristol Sessions in 1927. The son of A.P. and Sara Carter died Wednesday (March 2) of pancreatic cancer. He was the nephew of Maybelle Addington Carter -- June Carter Cash's mother -- the other founding member of the musical trio.

Tom T. Hall, Marty Stuart and John Carter Cash, son of Johnny and June Carter Cash, will serve as pallbearers during the funeral.