Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesCuban-born percussionist Armando Peraza, who was a member of Santana from 1972 to about 1990, died this past Monday, April 14, at a hospital in South San Francisco, California.  The musician' wife, Josephine, told the Los Angeles Times that his cause of death was pneumonia, although he also had fought a long battle with diabetes.  Peraza was believed to be 89, although he didn't know his exact birth date.

Armando joined Santana for the recording of the band's fourth studio album, Caravanserai, and appeared on most of the group's releases through 1990's Spirits Dancing in the Flesh.  He retired from Santana when his diabetes made it difficult for him to tour.

Peraza was born in Havana and was orphaned when he was a child.  By the time he was a teenager, he was living on the streets, and eventually taught himself to play percussion instruments such as the conga and bongo drums.  While in Cuba, he played alongside renowned Latin percussionist Mongo Santamaria.  In the late 1940s, he came to New York City, and soon began performing with a variety of respected jazz artists.  Over the years, he would perform and/or record with such legends as George Shearing, Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, Dave Brubeck, Dexter Gordon, Charles Mingus, Cal Tjader and Chick Corea.

In addition to Santana, Peraza also worked with a number of other pop, rock and R&B musicians, including Eric Clapton, Linda Rontadt and Rick James.  After leaving Santana, he continued to play on various recordings and at occasional concerts.

Carlos Santana has penned a tribute to Armando that he posted on his official website.  The homage reads, "My greatest teacher/mentor/role model crossed over the other side tonight.  He is now light only...no more in the body.  He is free from gravity and time.  Immortality is his playground.  Infinity is his domain.  Thank you for all and everything, Dearest Armando Peraza.  Be with GOD and the angels Dear one.  Peace."

Besides his wife, Peraza is survived by a daughter and three grandchildren.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Harper CollinsKISS frontman Paul Stanley has published his autobiography, Paul Stanley: Face the Music: A Life Exposed, and is on a book tour through California this week to sign books and meet fans. 

Despite the fact that Stanley appears on the cover in full KISS makeup, he tells ABC News Radio "I didn't write a KISS book, I wrote a book about my life."

The book opens with Stanley's childhood, which tells the tale of a pretty rough beginning. "I was born without a right ear, deaf on that side, all kinds of learning disabilities because of it and a fairly dysfunctional family," he says.  He admits he pursued fame because he thought it would cure his problems. "And I became famous, luckily, and at that point I realized that it wasn't the answer, so at that point you either start to do drugs and numb yourself or you can roll up your sleeves and get your life together and stop being a victim," he says simply, but readers of Face The Music will learn that Stanley's journey was far from simple -- in fact, it was full of loneliness and self-doubt.

Paul Stanley admits to ABC News Radio that he "couldn't have written the book 15 years ago because it wouldn't have had a happy ending. The only reason to write a book like this is not to wallow in pity or cry 'Woe is me,' it's to show people that you can pick yourself up by your bootstraps and wind up with a great life, when at some point it was anything but."

In typical KISS fashion, Stanley brags to ABC News Radio that his is "a great story," but then quickly follows that up by saying, "When you're writing about yourself it turns into a love letter. There's been enough of those on the market. The only reason I decided to write a book is when I thought my life might shed some light on other people, about their struggles, and that even the people they hold in high esteem or look up to, struggle. And then it's how you deal with the struggle [that matters]." 

Paul Stanley will be appearing at the Miramar Marine Base in San Diego on Friday, April 18, and at the Jewish Community Center in San Francisco on Saturday, April 19. Go to PaulStanley.com for times and details.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

C Flanigan/WireImagePhil Lesh & Friends, the musical project led by the founding Grateful Dead bassist, will play their first-ever headlining show in New York City's Central Park next month.  The event will be held May 28 at Rumsey Playfield.

The lineup of Lesh's group, which is made up of a rotating cast of musicians, will feature at this show Allman Brothers Band singer/guitarist Warren Haynes, keyboardist John Medeski from the avant-jazz-funk trio Medeski, Martin & Wood, acclaimed jazz-rock guitarist John Scofield and drummer Joe Russo, who also plays will Phil and The Dead's Bob Weir in Furthur.

Outside of The Grateful Dead, the only other time Lesh played in Central Park was this past November, when he made a surprise appearance with Soulive's Eric Krasno as part of the 2013 Jazz & Colors Festival.  Tickets for the May 28 concert go on sale Friday, April 25, at TheCapitolTheatre.com.

"Seeing great music in Central Park is one of the best things about New York," says concert organizer Peter Shapiro.  "I'm so excited to bring the music of the Grateful Dead there with this incredible lineup for a full show for the first time."

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Kevin Mazur/WireImageSting singing Italian opera?  Kevin Spacey impersonating Bill Clinton...while standing next to Bill Clinton?  Paul Simon cracking jokes like a stand-up comic?  It could only happen at Sting's long-running Rainforest Benefit Concert, which marked 25 years of fundraising Thursday night at New York City's famed Carnegie Hall.

As usual, Sting and his wife Trudie Styler put together a star-studded cast of musicians to entertain the crowd.  In addition to Sting himself, the lineup included Sting's recent tour mate Paul Simon, as well as James Taylor, Stephen Stills, Bruce Springsteen's wife and E Street Band member Patti Scialfa, Dionne Warwick, opera star Renee Fleming, trumpeter Chris Botti, Inside Llewyn Davis star Oscar Isaac, two of Sting's children and Spacey, who proved himself to be quite the entertainer all evening.

The night began with Sting, Spacey, and Taylor performing the Cole Porter classic "Well, Did You Evah!,"  an over-the-top comical music number from the movie High Society.  Then, the tuxedo-clad Spacey offered up a spot-on imitation of Johnny Carson, before launching into a version of "That's Life," made famous by Frank Sinatra.  Throughout the evening, Spacey also joined in on group numbers.  However, he got the most laughs when Bill Clinton took the stage, and Spacey performed an uncanny impersonation of the former president while standing right next to him.

"When I was president, people accused me of murder all the time!  Made a show of investigating it!" Clinton told the crowd, to much laughter.  Then, referring to Spacey's character Frank Underwood on the hit Netflix series House of Cards, he added, "Spacey's president for 15 minutes, and he gets away with murder!"

The musical numbers ranged from opera -- with Sting even joining Renee Fleming for an aria from Mozart's Don Giovanni -- plus classic rock, classic pop and singer/songwriter classics.  The biggest highlights were watching Sting team up with Paul Simon on some of Simon's most famous Simon & Garfunkel numbers, as they recently did on their joint tour.  When Sting held the high note at the end of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," it brought down the house.  Simon also cracked a string of jokes about the rainforest; the crowd roared while Sting just shook his head.

Over the 25 years that the Rainforest Foundation has been holding these benefit concerts, nearly $35 million has been raised to preserve and protect the world's rainforests, as well as the indigenous people who live there.

Here's a partial set list of the numbers performed Thursday night:

Sting, James Taylor, Kevin Spacey: "Well, Did You Evah!"
Spacey: "That's Life"
Renee Fleming: "O Mio Babbino Caro"
Fleming, Sting, Spacey: "La Ci Darem La Mano"
Taylor: "Fire and Rain"
Chris Botti: "Sketches of Spain"
Sting: "When We Dance"
Dionne Warwick: "Walk on By" and "Anyone Who Had a Heart"
Oscar Isaac: "Young Turks" (Rod Stewart cover)
Sting: "America" (Simon & Garfunkel)
Stephen Stills: "For What It's Worth"
Stephen Stills: "Amazonia"
Eliot Sumner (Sting's Daughter): "Born to Be Wild"
Joe Sumner (Sting' Son): "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Sting & Patti Scialfa: "Stand By Me"
Taylor: "How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved By You)"
Paul Simon: "Graceland"
Sting & Paul Simon: "The Boxer" (Simon & Garfunkel)
Sting & Paul Simon: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (Simon & Garfunkel)
Stills & Entire Company: "Love the One You're With"

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

PETAAs Christians prepare to celebrate Easter this Sunday, Paul McCartney is continuing his ongoing support of animal rights and the vegan lifestyle by taking part in a new initiative encouraging people to forego eating meat for the holiday.  The ex-Beatles legend is appearing in an online campaign launched by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in which he's wearing the organization's new "Eat No Fish" T-shirt.

The promotion is timed to coincide with the pre-Easter holy day Good Friday, which Christians traditionally observe by eating fish rather than other meat such as beef, pork or chicken.  The new PETA ads also include a comment from McCartney in which he urges, "make it a Good Friday for animals -- try vegetarian."

Explaining why he decided to stop eating fish, Sir Paul recalls, "Many years ago, I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realized, 'I am killing him -- all for the passing pleasure it brings me.'  And something inside me clicked, I realized as I watched him fight for breath that his life was as important to him as mine is to me."

The "Eat No Fish" T-shirt can be purchased at PETACatalog.com, and you can find more about the campaign by visiting PETA.org.  By the way, McCartney has previously promoted the sale of PETA's "Eat No Cow" and "Eat No Turkey" shirts, which also are available at the organization's online store.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

ABC News Radio

Slash is the first to admit that he didn't care much for school, and it's clear he's not up on his broadcasting history.  In the latest digital issue of FuseTV's Backatcha -- in which rock stars discuss highlights of their band's pasts -- the guitarist tries to take credit for broadcasting's seven-second delay.  That's the feature that lets radio jocks and TV producers "dump" up to seven seconds of audio in the event that some rock star slips with an F-bomb or one of the many other violations of the FCC's stringent rules.

In the Backatcha episode, Slash says that he and the rest of his old band Guns N' Roses were "accepting an award for something and we were just really, really drunk.  That was the beginning of the seven-second rule...for swearing.  The seven-second delay?  We started it.  Every other word was 'f**k this' and 'f**king that.'"

Not quite.  As much as the GN'R guys might have tried to exercise the seven-second delay as often as they could, it was actually invented way back in 1952, before any of them were born.

In other Guns N' Roses news, frontman Axl Rose will receive this year's Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement Award next week, at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles, when he'll will join the ranks of past honorees Rush, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica and Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead. 

The Revolver Golden Gods Awards will be held at L.A.'s Nokia Theater on Wednesday, April 23.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

CapitolGlen Campbell has apparently been moved to an Alzheimer's facility.  A family friend tells People, "I'm not sure what the permanent plan is for him yet.  We'll know more next week."

The 78-year-old singer was diagnosed with Alzheimer's more than three years ago.  A documentary about Glen's Goodbye Tour, titled Glen Campbell…I'll Be Me, debuts Friday at the Nashville Film Festival.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Aretha's Records; Courtesy of Patti LaBelleEarlier this month, The News Nerd published a satirical story about Aretha Franklin getting into a physical altercation with Patti LaBelle.  Although the Queen of Soul released a statement clarifying that the story was false, she is planning to file a $10 million lawsuit against the publication, according to the Detroit News.

"The stories were not presented as satire or humor.  It was presented as a serious news story intended to depict me in a slanderous and derogatory way -- defamation of character," said Franklin through her publicist Gwendolyn Quinn.

The News Nerd claimed that Patti was arrested after she punched Aretha with "a Mayweather style right and left."  The fabricated story was seemingly concocted after Franklin was captured pulling her arm away from Patti, who was trying to greet Aretha at the "Women of Soul" concert at The White House last month.

Although the publication carries a disclaimer at the bottom of each web page that describes its stories as "purely satirical" and "for entertainment purposes only," Franklin is still moving forward with possible legal action.

Earlier this week, the legendary singer laughed off the alleged incident.  "I've never heard anything crazier," Franklin said in a statement on Tuesday.  "Patti and I are cool and we always have been.  I enjoyed her at the White House.  Classic Patti."

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Universal Music EnterprisesA new concert video and album capturing The Who playing its classic 1973 concept album Quadrophenia last year in London will be released in multiple configurations on June 10.  Quadrophenia: Live in London documents the band's performance at Wembley Arena on July 8, 2103, which was the final show of its Quadrophenia and More Tour.

The concert featured The Who performing the landmark double-disc record in its entirety, as well as a set of other memorable songs by the British rockers.  For the show, the band played in front of a high-definition video screen that showed a montage of archival footage and rare photos.  The event also included tribute segments to The Who's two late founding members -- bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon -- in which the band's current lineup performed along with concert footage of the departed rock legends.

Among the versions of Quadrophenia: Live in London that will be available is a deluxe box set that will be packaged in a round metal container designed to look like the headlight of a mod-era scooter.  The collection will feature a high-def Blu-ray and a standard DVD of the concert film, a two-CD soundtrack of the 2013 show, a Blu-ray audio disc boasting the first-ever 5.1 surround-sound mix of the 1973 Quadrophenia album, a booklet with photos and liner notes, and a collectible button and sticker.

In addition, the Blu-ray and DVD of the concert video, the double-CD soundtrack and the 1973 Quadrophenia Blu-ray audio disc all will be sold separately.  Digital versions of the 2013 concert video and album also will be available.

Here is the track list for the Quadrophenia: Live in London DVD, Blu-ray and soundtrack:

"I Am the Sea"
"The Real Me"
"Quadrophenia"
"Cut My Hair"
"The Punk and the Godfather"
"I'm One"
"The Dirty Jobs"
"Helpless Dancer"
"Is It In My Head?"
"I've Had Enough"
"5:15"
"Sea and Sand"
"Drowned"
"Bell Boy"
"Doctor Jimmy"
"The Rock"
"Love Reign O'er Me"

Bonus Performances
"Who Are You"
"You Better You Bet"
"Pinball Wizard"
"Baba O'Riley"
"Won't Get Fooled Again"
"Tea & Theatre"

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Banger FilmsThe new Alice Cooper documentary Super Duper Alice Cooper will premiere today at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival at the Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea 7 in New York City.  The film, which is being billed as the first-ever "doc opera," tells the dramatic true story of how Vincent Furnier, a preacher's son who was born in Detroit and raised in Phoenix, grew up to be one of rock music's most outlandish entertainers.

The movie also examines Cooper's struggles with alcohol and drug abuse during the 1970s and early '80s, and his reemergence as a clean-and-sober elder rock statesman.  Super Duper Alice Cooper combines archival footage and photos, animated segments and theatrical scenes with new audio interviews with Alice, members of his original band, longtime manager Shep Gordon, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Iggy Pop, Twisted Sister's Dee Snider, Sex Pistols singer John Lydon and others.

One of the interesting devices directors Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen and Reginald Harkema used in the film was the integration of clips from the 1920 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to reflect Cooper's struggle for identity with the character he portrayed on stage.

Cooper tells ABC News Radio that he loved the use of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the documentary, and recalls that "the guys came to me and they said, 'We just can't do a normal autobiography because it's Alice Cooper and that's a character that's always theatrical.  We have to do something different…We were thinking about Jekyll and Hyde."  Alice added that he thought the character was perfect as an analogy for his struggle.

As the film reveals, as Cooper's popularity and fame skyrocketed, he began drinking to excess while acting as if his crazy concert persona was who he was in real life.

"I think that when I was drinking there was a big, gray area of where Alice began and where I stopped," he says.  "And, when I got sober I finally realized the fact that, yeah, I don't have to be this character all the time."

Although Alice went through extensive treatment for his alcoholism in the late 1970s, he relapsed in the early '80s, adding a serious cocaine problem on top of his drinking issues.  The period is captured in the film in an interview clip taped during his 1981-1982 tour in support of his Special Forces album in which he appears frighteningly gaunt.

Cooper says of the segment, "I look at that and I go, 'That was another life.'  I mean, that was 32 years ago, and, to me, it doesn't even seem like that was me…I mean, I know it was me but you don't really realize how deep you get into things until you [see a video like that]."

Cooper got sober for good shortly after that, and now he says he has no trouble separating his real life from that of the onstage Alice.

"I can live my life every day with my wife and my kids and go play golf and go to the mall and go to church on Sunday and do everything that a dad does, and then when it's time to play Alice, well, I look forward to that now," he tells ABC News Radio.  "It's sort of like Anthony Hopkins looking forward to playing Hannibal Lecter.  I mean, how much fun is that?"

Cooper will attend tonight's premiere and will take part during a Q&A session during the event.

"You can ask me anything," he says of the planned interview segment.  "I have got no skeletons in the closet here, so it doesn't matter to me what you want to talk about.  We'll talk about it."

Webster PRAfter wrapping up a second series of performances of his RockTellz & CockTails show in Las Vegas earlier this month, Meat Loaf has now lined up a third residency.  The veteran singer's new engagement will include 21 dates, beginning May 6 and running through June 21.  During the stint, which again will be held at the PH Showroom at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, performances will take place each week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7 p.m. PT.

RockTellz & CockTails Presents Meat Loaf combines a rock concert with a multimedia display featuring archival film and photos, as well as a Q&A session.  During each show, Meat Loaf sings many of his classic hits from his Bat out of Hell trilogy, including "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and "I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)," as well as other memorable songs from throughout his career.  He also shares a variety of exciting stories about his many years in show business.

"I'm having so much fun with this show and am thrilled to be coming back again," says Meat Loaf in a statement.  "It's exciting every night for me to step on that stage with a show that draws together all aspects of my career.  It really is the show I was born to do."

Tickets for the show cost from $69 to $149, not including taxes and fees.  VIP packages -- including a meet-and-greet with Meat Loaf, premium seats, an autographed scarf and a souvenir photo -- can be purchased for $750.  Tickets are available now at the Planet Hollywood Box Office, at Ticketmaster outlets, and at Ticketmaster.com. Visit RockTellz.com to check out a complete list of performances and more details about the show.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Columbia RecordsBob Dylan is off the hook after charges of hate speech, brought against him in France last year, have been dismissed.  At issue was an alleged racist remark he made about Croatians in a 2012 Rolling Stone interview. 

On Tuesday a court in Paris dismissed a case brought against Dylan last November by the Council of Croats in France, according to Agence France-Presse.

Dylan was sued over an answer he gave Rolling Stone to a question about parallels between the U.S. of the 1860s and present-day America.  "If you got a slave master or Klan in your blood, blacks can sense that. That stuff lingers to this day. Just like Jews can sense Nazi blood and the Serbs can sense Croatian blood," the magazine quoted Dylan as saying, leading the Croatian group to sue under French hate-speech laws.

However, a judge ruled that Dylan was not culpable because he hadn't given consent for his comments to be published in the French-language edition of the magazine.  The judge did order the magazine's French editor to stand trial, though, the AFP reports.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Photo: MJ KimPaul McCartney has added six more dates to the U.S. leg of his ongoing Out There Tour on top of the four he revealed last week.  Among the newly announced shows will be his first-ever full headlining concerts in Lubbock, Texas, and Jacksonville, Florida, as well as stops in Dallas, Atlanta, Nashville and Salt Lake City.

Sir Paul will kick off the stateside leg on June 14 in Lubbock, which was the hometown of one of his musical idols, the late Buddy Holly.  The ex-Beatles star will rock Jacksonville on June 22, having only previously performed a four-song set in the city in 2005 during the Super Bowl XXXIX halftime show.

McCartney will play Dallas on June 16 and Atlanta on June 21.  He last performed in the Texas metropolis back in 2005, although he did visit nearby Arlington, Texas, during his 2009 summer tour.  His last trip to Atlanta also took place in '09.

Rounding out the new shows, McCartney will perform in Nashville on June 25 and in Salt Lake City on August 7.  Paul only played in those cities once before, during his 2010 Up and Coming Tour.

Tickets for the new U.S. dates will go on sale to the general public on April 25 at 10 a.m. local time.  PaulMcCartney.com members and American Express Card members will get the chance to purchase pre-sale tickets starting, respectively, this Thursday and this Monday at 10 a.m. local time.

By the way, McCartney's previously announced U.S. concerts -- June 19 in New Orleans; June 26 in Louisville, Kentucky; July 5 in Albany, New York; and July 7 in Pittsburgh -- all have sold out.

First up for the rock legend will be a Latin American leg that gets under way this Saturday in Montevideo, Uruguay.  He also has shows lined up in Japan and South Korea in late May.

Here are all of McCartney's confirmed U.S. tour dates:

6/14 -- Lubbock, TX, United Spirit Arena
6/16 -- Dallas, TX, American Airlines Center
6/19 -- New Orleans, LA, Smoothie King Center
6/21 -- Atlanta, GA, Philips Arena
6/22 -- Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
6/25 -- Nashville, TN, Bridgestone Arena
6/26 -- Louisville, KY, Yum! Center
7/5 -- Albany, NY, Times Union Center
7/7 -- Pittsburgh, PA, Consol Energy Center
8/7 -- Salt Lake City, UT, EnergySolutions Arena

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Rick Diamond/Getty Images for The WhoThis past October, Who singer Roger Daltey revealed to Rolling Stone that his band was planning to launch a 50th anniversary tour sometime in 2015, but now guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend is reporting that the trek will get under way a bit earlier.  Townshend tells Billboard that the outing will start around Christmastime in the United Kingdom and then will make its way to North America next year.

"It will be a world tour," explains the 68-year-old rocker.  "I'm not crazy about going on the road, but I'm in good shape and once I start doing it -- and I'm still very good at it -- I'll take some pleasure from it."  The trek is expected to be the band's last major tour.

Meanwhile, Pete reports that he's finally hoping to put together a new Who studio album, which would be a follow-up to 2006's Endless Wire.

"I'm trying to [look] through my 20,000 hours of complete and utter disorganized music [to find possible songs]," he says. "I'll be pulling some songs out of [his long-in-the-works project] 'Floss' to give to Roger to see if we've got enough to make an album."  He adds, "It might be a big waste of time, but I'm hoping there will be an album."

Reflecting on the tour that will mark his band's half-century-long career, Townshend tells Billboard that although he's prepared for it, the trek comes at a transitional period in his life.

"I'll be 69 in May and all my friends are getting ill or dying," he points out.  "I knew it would happen.  I will be happy if I give people something that makes fans happy.  It takes some great planning and I hope it opens up other things that we can avail ourselves of."

As previously reported, outside of his work with The Who, Townshend has co-written and recorded a new song titled "It Must Be Done" that will get its premiere on the April 30 episode of the FX espionage-drama series The Americans, which airs at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Chicago Records IIChicago will return this summer with a new album called NOW – also known as Chicago 36.  The project was put together on a mobile recording system called The Rig, which was spearheaded by longtime trumpet player Lee Loughnane, in hotel rooms and other locations across the country while the band was on tour. 

Engineer Hank Linderman acted as coordinating producer for the album, which features 10 tracks.  Chicago already released several of the tunes as digital singles over the last several months.

NOW will arrive, appropriately enough, on the 4th of July and will be available in five different formats.  The biggest one will set you back 98 dollars and will include the CD with a six-panel digipak, a full-color lyric book, a t-shirt, a mug and other goodies.  For more information, or to pre-order the new disc, visit the official Chicago website.

Here is the track listing for Chicago NOW XXXVI:

"NOW"
"More Will Be Revealed"
"America"
"Crazy Happy"
"Free at Last"
"Love Lives On"
"Something’s Coming, I Know"
"Watching All the Colors"
"Nice Girl"
"Naked in the Garden of Allah"
"Another Trippy Day"

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio