Joan Armatrading is one of a handful of artists who have avoided being pigeon-holed in any one particular genre, but who move smoothly from one to another. Although her greatest commercial success was with a series of rock albums in the '70s, her repertoire extends to blues, folk, pop, and jazz.

A recently released 1980 performance DVD tips toward rock, with enough of her other artful fusions to show off her musical versatility. More in my review of Joan Armatrading: Steppin' Out.

^{Cover image courtesy Eagle Rock Entertainment}

Joan Armatrading: Steppin' Out DVD Review originally appeared on About.com Classic Rock on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 10:18:39.

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Women have had a major influence on rock music from the beginning: as solo artists, as songwriters, and as members of classic rock bands. Celebrate Women's History Month by testing your knowledge of the women of classic rock.

^{Janis Joplin photo © Henry Diltz, courtesy Rhino Entertainment}

The Women of Classic Rock originally appeared on About.com Classic Rock on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 17:08:26.

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Toto Together Again
Toto had a 31 year run before disbanding in 2008. Now, they're getting back together for a brief summer tour in Europe. The concerts are to benefit the band's former bassist, Mike Porcaro, a victim of ALS. Two of the band's founding members -- guitarist-vocalist Steve Lukather and keyboardist-vocalist David Paitch -- will be participating. Toto, formed in 1977, released 18 albums over their career. They are best known for songs like "Roasanna,""Africa" and "Hold The Line."

Alice in Footlights
Alice Cooper tells Rolling Stone that he's negotiating a possible Broadway show. Among the ideas being discussed is a show based on Coop's 1975 concept album, Welcome To My Nightmare. In the meantime, Cooper and Rob Zombie will be on the road (April-July) on their Gruesome Twosome Tour.

And the Hall Shall Rock
Among the artists scheduled to perform at the upcoming (March 15) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies: Eric Burdon, Peter Wolf, The Stooges, Graham Nash and Chris Isaak. Some unidentified "special guests" are also promised. The 2010 Rock Hall inductees include Genesis, The Hollies, The Stooges, Jimmy Cliff and ABBA.

^{Toto photo by Sean Gallup / Getty Images}

Rock on the Road originally appeared on About.com Classic Rock on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 06:16:30.

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Doc on Doors
When You're Strange is the title of a Doors documentary that debuted at the 2009 Sundance festival, and which will get a limited theatrical release in April, and an airing on PBS in May. Most of the footage was supplied by surviving members Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger, and the estate of the late Jim Morrison. Footage includes portions of a film produced by Morrison (UCLA film school graduate) in 1969.

Freak Out With Frank
Frank Zappa's musical roots are explored in depth in the film, The Freak Out List, on DVD available April 20. The timeline begins with film of Zappa's often-cited influences, and ends with rare video and interviews of Zappa and The Mothers. Archival video is augmented by photos, radio spots and news footage.

Rarely Seen Stones
The Rolling Stones Rare and Unseen (DVD, dropping April 20) is a composite of rare and previously unreleased video and photos of the band from various private collections. The DVD includes some very early (1964) footage of founder Brian Jones, and Charlie Watts doing something he rarely does: being interviewed.

^{The Doors photo © Photo Flashbacks - The Doug Hartley Collection; Rolling Stones cover image courtesy Wienerworld / MVD Visual}

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About .... originally appeared on About.com Classic Rock on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 08:58:03.

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Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
A new album (Mojo, to be released sometime this spring) and a four-month-long North American tour (May-August) are coming up from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Joining them at various stops on the tour will be ZZ Top, Crosby Stills and Nash, Joe Cocker, Drive-By Truckers and My Morning Jacket. While you're waiting, you can listen to "Good Enough" -- a track from the new album -- on Petty's website.

Paul McCartney
When he played more than a dozen concerts in various locations in 2009, Paul McCartney steadfastly maintained that he wasn't touring. Now, with three shows confirmed so far for 2010, Macca announces his Up and Coming tour, which the announcement says is a combination of "unique venues, places and locations" in "cities he's never played." The tour opens March 28 in Glendale, Arizona, then moves to Hollywood Bowl for two shows.

Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie
In something of a shock-rock-Jedi-with-young-Padawan-learner pairing, Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie's aptly named Gruesome Twosome Tour will hit Canadian and U.S. cities between April and July. Zombie says the two have been talking about touring together for the past 15 years, and are finally making it happen.

Elton John and Billy Joel ... Not!
Elton John says his summer tour schedule with Billy Joel has been canceled, and he tells the Chicago Tribune that he's none too happy about it. "It's not my decision, it's Billy's. He has decided to take a year off. It doesn't gel with my plans but he's a friend. And as an artist you have to respect his decision."

^{Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Photo by Streeter Lecka / Getty Images}

New Tour News originally appeared on About.com Classic Rock on Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 12:02:39.

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Ray Davies and ...
Since the prospects of a reunion of The Kinks don't appear to be particularly good, lead singer-songwriter Ray Davies is busy working on performing classic Kinks material with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, The Killers and Lucinda Williams, each of whom have signed on to perform Kinks songs with Davies on an upcoming album. At last year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary concerts, Davies performed a couple of Kinks tunes with Metallica, who may also wind up on the album, due in late 2010. Davies is also working on a solo album, and still hoping for a Kinks reunion.

Roger Daltrey and ...
Just as he begins a series of dates with Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey says he'd like to pair up with Jimmy Page, too. Referring to his resume prior to joining The Who, Daltrey tells Rolling Stone that he thinks he'd do a fine job singing the blues with the ex-Led Zeppelin guitarist.

Hedging Their Bets?
With Robert Plant uninterested in a Led Zep reunion, Page may well be in the market for a vocalist to partner with on a more or less regular basis. And with Pete Townshend's chronic hearing problems threatening to jeopardize The Who's future performing possibilities, Daltrey, too, appears to be actively developing a Plan B. A guitarist without a vocalist and a vocalist without a guitarist. Presents some interesting possibilities, doesn't it?

^{Ray Davies photo by Paul Kane / Getty Images}

Let's Get Together. Or Not. originally appeared on About.com Classic Rock on Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 11:07:56.

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After performing together at several events in 2009, Crosby Stills and Nash have announced a series of dates in the U.S. and Europe, beginning in May. The combination of festivals, arenas and concert halls is scheduled to begin with the Sonoma (CA) Jazz Festival on May 21. The European leg of the tour ends in Germany in late July, with more U.S. dates (as yet unconfirmed) promised thereafter. Here's the CSN tour schedule as it stands now.

Mark Knopfler (ex-Dire Straits guitarist) is going on the road in support of his recently released solo album, Get Lucky. He will spend a month touring the U.S. and Canada in April and May. Here's Knopfler's 25-date itinerary.

Tour Tidbits originally appeared on About.com Classic Rock on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 06:47:28.

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Robert Plant is busy working on his latest solo album, It's Rude To Say No. He's recording in Nashville, but it isn't known whether his Raising Sand partner, Alison Krauss will be involved. The album is expected to be released later this year.

Bad Company will be touring the U.K. this spring, and just ahead of the tour (March 29) they will release Hard Rock Live on DVD. The performance, at the Hollywood Hard Rock, was recorded in August, 2008.

Jimi Hendrix will appear in the Rock Band video game format later this year, according to the late artist's sister. This, and the previously announced March release of an album of unreleased Hendrix work, are part of a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of his death.

Alan Parsons is set to release a live performance CD/DVD on March 19. Eye 2 Eye - Live In Madrid was shot in 2004. Parsons will be touring in Europe and Israel in the spring.

New Releases to Watch originally appeared on About.com Classic Rock on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 06:32:15.

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Abbey Road
A lot of folks were all shook up when EMI, having fallen on financial hard times, announced plans to sell their historic (for rock fans anyway) Abbey Road Studios. Suddenly there was the prospect that the building in which The Beatles recorded all but one of their albums, Pink Floyd recorded most of theirs, and from which a number of innovative recording techniques originated, would be turned into upscale housing.

Riding to the rescue, Britain's National Trust says it might be persuaded to purchase and preserve Abbey Road as a historic landmark. A Trust spokesman, citing an "astonishing outpouring" of public sentiment in favor of the idea, says that if that's what the public wants, that's what the Trust will do. Among those who support the idea is a nearby resident named Paul McCartney.

Record Plant
Meanwhile, back on our side of The Pond, efforts are underway to save Record Plant in Sausalito, California where a ton of '70s rock albums were produced, including Fleetwood Mac's Rumors and various works of Grateful Dead, Santana and Journey. The building has sat empty and silent since 2008, when the owner couldn't make mortgage payments and the bank foreclosed. Now, a full bore campaign spearheaded by folks like Mick Fleetwood and Carlos Santana is underway to raise the money needed to buy the studio and keep it running.

^{Photo of The Beatles and producer George Martin at work in Abbey Road Studios, courtesy Special Ops Media}

Save Our Studios originally appeared on About.com Classic Rock on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 05:50:58.

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Aerosmith have been booked to open the Download Festival in Leicestershire, England on June 11, and reportedly their lead singer will be (wait for it) Steven Tyler! According to Classic Rock magazine (which isn't often wrong about things like this) the on-again, off-again relationship between Tyler and the band is scheduled to be on at least long enough for the band to kick off the three day festival. The band's website confirms the booking, but doesn't mention Tyler specifically.

Artists who have reportedly turned down Aerosmith's offer to temporarily replace Tyler until he completes his latest drug rehab and decides what he wants to do when grows up: Paul Rodgers, Billy Idol, Lenny Kravitz, and Chris Cornell. It has also been reported that Tyler unsuccessfully auditioned recently to replace Robert Plant as lead singer for Led Zeppelin (or whatever the band would be called with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Jason Bonham and a vocalist other than Plant) so perhaps all that rejection on both sides drove the two parties (Tyler and Aerosmith) back into one another's arms.

Of course, a lot can happen between now and June 11, and all of this may change yet again. In fact, the odds are pretty good that it will.

Aerosmith to Open Download Festival with Lead Vocalist ... originally appeared on About.com Classic Rock on Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 16:15:35.

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