Glenn Hughes is due to tour with the "Rock-N-Roll Allstars" rock-star conglomeration - along with musicians such as iGene Simmons (Kiss), Joe Elliott (Def Leppard), Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses), Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses), Gilby Clarke (Guns N' Roses), Mike Inez (Alice in Chains) and Billy Duffy (The Cult). The band was launched by press conference on 1st March (see left) and is due to tour South & Central America in April / May 2012

DB#900259 (with thanks to Tom Dixon)

The saga of Glenn's autobiography has finally being sorted. The book was underway back in 2008, but plans to release it in 2010 were cancelled. This has of course enabled them to bring the story more up to date and cover BCC.

The regular version can be ordered now from the dpas online store. It has been written by ex-Record Collector journalist Joel McIver, who spoke to Bruce Dickinson about it in the latter's radio show; "Glenn has led a life that you literally would not believe. He shouldn't be alive today. This book tells the story of his downfall and miraculous recovery to his current state of sobriety in full, technicolor detail with no punches pulled."

Darker Then Blue blog review: Glenn Hughes, The Autobiography

SR/TS#7002234

Bob Nalbandian's Shockwaves skull sessions podcast #52 features a review of the Deep Purple Mk4 "Phoenix Rising" DVD. Book reviews include Glenn's upcoming autobiography. Direct Link to Podcast 52.

Shockwaves/HardRadio podcast #54 includes host Bob Nalbandian interviewing Glenn Hughes.Link to All Episodes:  http://www.hardradio.com/shockwaves/podcasts

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Glenn Hughes is due to share the bill with ex-Marillion singer Fish for some UK dates in May 2012. Tickets are already on sale..

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Glenn Hughes has announced five shows for November 2011, billed as "An Evening with Glenn Hughes". Glenn writes that "The paperback of my book will be on sale at the shows and I'll be signing copies."

Glenn's autobiography can be pre-ordered from the DPAS / Darker Than Blue online store

NY#9002581 photo: Christer Lorichs

The BCC “Live Over Europe” DVD is due out late October 2011. The performances were filmed with 14 HD cameras during the summer of 2011 in the German cities of Hamburg, Munich and Berlin. The DVD and Bluray can be pre-ordered at the Darker Than Blue Online store.

As well as the gig, the early copies have a 28-page collector’s booklet and 20-minutes of “behind the scenes” footage and photo collection.

BCC have been nominated for Best Band and Album of the Year in the forthcoming Classic Rock Awards.

Vue will be holding a one off screening of Live Over Europe at 16 of its cinemas on 1st November, so check to see if you're near one chosen.

The track listing is: Black Country / One Last Soul / Crossfire / Save Me / The Battle For Hadrian’s Wall / Beggarman / Faithless / Song Of Yesterday / I Can See Your Spirit / Cold / The Ballad Of John Henry / The Outsider / The Great Divide / Sista Jane / Man In The Middle / Burn / Smokestack Woman.

You can view a (rather dramatic!) trailer for the DVD on YouTube and www.glennhughes.com

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Part of Black Country Communion's 24th July 2011 performance at London's "High Voltage Festival" is due to be aired on UK digital TV channel Sky Arts. Hi-Def highlights of the festival are promised on Saturday 20th August at 10pm. The 90-minute TV special is due to include performances from
Black Country Communion, Slash, Judas Priest, Dream Theater, Thin Lizzy, Thunder and
Queensryche, among athers, interspersed with band interviews.

The High Voltage highlights show included two BCC tracks: very lively performances of "One Last Soul" and "Crossfire".

BCC2 can be ordered from the DPAS Darker Than Blue Online store. The debut Black Country Communion album is still available, as well as the last few copies of the vinyl limited edition.

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Black Country have released their long-awaited (!) second album. Glenn recorded his vocals during early February 2011(and twittering away as he did so), same production crew and studio as before. Strange that the sleeve should so closely resemble a more polished version of the first – give or take a couple of crows. The album has debuted at no.23 in the UK album charts, and at no.1 in the Official UK Rock Album Chart, overtaking the Foo Fighters album “Wasting Light”.

As well as the tour and new album, BCC have now promised a live DVD for the end of 2011 to be filmed on their upcoming German dates in July 2011.

DPAS album review: Black Country Communion 2

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Black Country Communion have lined up some UK shows for 2011, kicking off with a show in the Republic of Ireland. The Michael Schenker Group will be supporting Black Country Communion on their UK dates. The seventies live!

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Black Country Communion are currently on tour in the US, in support of their second studio album "Black Country Communion 2" which was released on 11th June 2011. The US dates are:

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Glenn launch an exclusive weekly radio show on online digital radio station Planet Rock from Sunday June 5th from 6-7pm GMT. 

Every week, Glenn will choose his favourite rock songs, and seminal tracks that have influenced him over the years, plus songs that continue to inspire him today.  He will also apparently reveal controversial tales and anecdotes from his career.

"I would like to thank Planet Rock for giving me the opportunity to share with listeners the songs that have shaped my life,” says Glenn.  “Every song is chosen by me, and there will rock 'n’roll stories along the away. I am a messenger..."

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(with thanks to Noble PR, and Ian Parry-Jones)

Planet Rock gave a first radio airing of the track "Outsider" from the forthcoming Black Country Communion 2 album. Glenn Hughes was lined up to introduce the song on Thursday, 5 May, at 10.30am.

An mp3 of the track can be downloaded for free from http://www.bccommunion.com in exchange for your e-mail address.

NY/TS#9002561

Ex Toto bassist MIke Porcaro is releasing a live double album called "Brotherly Love", dedicated to his late brother Jeff Porcaro. The album was recorded in Koblenz, Germany, in 2002. Glenn Hughes sings on some tracks.

The album was released in Japan during January 2011 and is due for a more worldwide release leter in the year.

NY#900259

BCC have done a tie up with Planet Rock; if you join the radio station's VIP club, you can download a couple of live tracks from the band's launch gig in London last year. They are branded as exclusive, but we don't know if this exclusivity is for all time!

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Black Country Communion are lining up some European shows for mid 2011. Those announced are:

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Glenn Hughes does a track on an upcoming - no this must be an April fool trick - an upcoming Heavy Metal Frank Sinatra CD. No, it seems a genuine press release. And it is only January. Can you imagine the label mob brainstorming round the water cooler and coming up with this? But then it is the same lot who did that Heavy Metal Christmas CD a while back.. 12 tracks, out March 2011. Glenn? He's tackling I've Got You Under My Skin. Oh and it's called SINatra. Even as someone who reckons Sinatra couldn't hold a candle to Matt Monroe, it's still an idea which should perhaps have stayed on the drawing board.

Next, a Heavy Metal Children's Hour CD, on which Doug Katsaros and the other gods of metal tackle the themes to Trumpton, Camberwick Green, etc.

SR#900256 (Thanks (we think!) to Tom Dixon for the heads up.)

Provogue Records will be releasing Black Country Communion guitarist Joe Bonamassa's new solo album, DUST BOWL in the UK on Monday March 21st 2011 (US release is March 22nd). 

Dust Bowl is produced by Kevin “The Caveman” Shirley (who produced Black Country Communion and the Come Taste The Band remixes).

The reason we're mentioning it is not the very sub-Stormbringer-style cover painting of a tornado, but because Glenn Hughes guests on one track, Heartbreaker. Joe will be off on tour to support, which I guess puts back plans for any BCC gigs further. Pre-order at DPASMailorder

SR#900253 (with thanks to Noble PR )

At the Black Country Communion gig in Wolverhampton (29 December) there were flyers advertising Glenn Hughes solo dates for 2011. They are:

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 9am on Friday 7th January 2011. UK gig guide website www.ents24.com is offering fans an exclusive pre-sale from 9am on Wednesday 5th January. 

TS#9002531 photo: Christer Lorichs

Glenn Hughes performed a small string of dates lined up for Brazil in December, preceding the two UK Black Country Communion shows. A show pencilled in for Brasília was cancelled, the Rio de Janeiro was moved from 19th to the 17th, and an extra (though private) show in Goiania was added

The set list for the Sao Paulo show was: Muscle And Blood  / Touch My Life  / Sail Away  / Medusa  / You Kill Me  / Can't Stop The Flood  / Mistreated / Stormbringer / Keepin' Time  / Soul Mover.  Encore: Addiction  /  Burn.

The band:  Glenn Hughes - bass/vocals,  Soran  Anderson  - guitar, Anders Olinder - keyboards, Pontus Engborg: drums.

TS#9002522 (with thanks to Albertino Viveiros)

On November 1st 2010 Universal released a deluxe double CD edition of "Seventh Star" by "Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi". The original 1986 album, featuring Glenn Hughes on vocals throughout, occupies disc one, along with the single remix of "No Stranger To Love". Reports suggest that the sound quality on the album is at best a marginal improvement on the 1996 Castle CD release.

The second disc features a radio sourced live performance from Hammersmith in June 1986, by which time Glann had been replaced by the late Ray Gillen.

According to www.blacksabbath.com a remix of "Born Again" (with Ian Gillan on vocals) is still in the pipeline.

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Glenn Hughes (along with Joe Lynn Turner and Graham Bonnet) are guests on Russian band Pushking's new album. One of Russia's "most popular metal/rock bands, PUSHKING has released over 15 albums," according to their website.

This new one features many of their musical heroes, and is titled "The World As We Love It". Glenn sings on "Why Don’t You?", "Private Own", "Tonight" (accompanied by BCC bandmate Joe Bonamassa), and "Kukarracha" ( with Joe Lynn Turner and Graham Bonnet).

Elsewhere, Graham Bonnet sings "God Made Us Free", ex-Whitesnake guitarist Stev Vai plays on "My Reflections..", and Joe Lynn Turner sings "Head Shooter".

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As Glenn Hughes has promised, Black Country have lined up a couple of UK shows at the end (literally!) of the year.

Planet Rock Radio will launch an exclusive 4-day ticket pre-sale from Monday 15th November, details: www.planetrock.com/bcc. Tickets for the shows will then go on sale to the general public from 9.00am on Friday 19th November.

NY#900251 Photo: Roberto Souza

Black Country Communion were recently interviewed by Eddie Trunk. The video interview, interspersed with clips of the band playing live at the Sirius Satellie Radio studio can be viewed at bccommunion.com/news/189.

DB#900250 (with thanks to Peter Noble)

DB#7002447 (with thanks to Wolfy Smith) Photo: Roberto Souza

The band's album debuted in the UK midweek album charts at #5. It then charted at #13 in the weekly Official UK Top 40 Album Chart. The album also hit #1 in the Official UK Top 40 Rock Album Chart and #2 in the Official UK Top 40 Indie Album Chart.

In the 3 October UK album charts "Black Country Communion" bounced out of the top 40 (to #49), but are still riding high at #2 in the rock album chart, and #3 in the indie album chart.

Having recently performed a secret concert to a select audience of 160 people at John Henry's in Islington, London on September 20th, Black Country Communion are finalising details of concerts in the UK this December.

MM/DB#9002492 (with thanks to Peter Noble)

The (very impressive) publicity countdown to Black Country Communion's debut album is ramped up again this weekend, with two more special appearances on Planet Rock radio, and a UK secret gig... somewhere in London, on 20 September.

On Sunday 19 September from 6pm – 8pm (UK time), Glenn, Joe Bonamassa, and Jason Bonham will join Planet Rock's Nicky Horne for a two hour chat about the making of their album, and whatever information they are willing to divulge about their gig due to take place the following day.

On Monday 20 September at 9pm (UK time) Planet Rock will broadcast the secret live show. The exclusive worldwide broadcast can be heard online at www.planetrock.com as well as DAB radio and digital TV after 9pm.

(Planet Rock broadcasts on digital radio, Sky 0110, Virgin Media 924, Freesat 730, online www.planetrock.com and on iPhone.)

NY/DB#900248 (with thanks to Peter Noble)

The Black Country Communion supergroup (Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinian) is generating the sort of buzz which doesn't happen too often these days. Although live shows won't take place until next year, they will do a short (secret) gig in London on release day. This will be aired by Planet Rock Radio too. The CD is already a top five pre-order with some retailers, and the label have now announced two limited edition versions - including a 2-Disc (CD/DVD) with the album, interviews, exclusive studio and live images, production notes, studio footage, plus live tracks which have been about on the web in decent quality. Anyone who has pre-ordered from DPAS Online will automatically get this version, which is limited worldwide. A 2xLP vinyl pressing has also been added, and there's the regular CD. The album is set for UK release on 20 September 2010, and US release on 21 September.

The track titles for the album are : Black Country / One Last Soul / The Great Divide / Down Again / Beggarman / Song Of Yesterday / No Time / Medusa / The Revolution In Me / Stand (At The Burning Tree) / Sista Jane / Too Late For The Sun.

Yes you say, but is it any good? You bet it is. I blasted through the whole album and can't wait to do so again. It's a little ragged round the edges, but has a powerful rock spirit which straddles the seventies through to today and just keeps you glued to the speakers. Indeed it's a shame they could not have issued the vinyl on Vertigo, because to me it is a real descendant of those slightly obscure but often exciting acts which the spiral label use to specialise in. The tracks are often lengthy, one or two reviewers have actually complained (!), but the band get into such a groove they've done right not to fade and cut. Dare I mention Mk 3? BCC certainly has echoes of 1974 about it, but in a good way. If Deep Purple themselves had issued this as the follow up to Stormbringer there would have been few grumbles. All songs are sung by Glenn Hughes, with the exception of Song Of Yesterday and The Revolution In Me which are both sung by Joe Bonamassa.  Hughes and Bonamassa share lead vocals on Sista Jane and Too Late For The Sun.  Also included is a new version of Medusa, originally recorded by Glenn Hughes with Trapeze (and strangely one of the lesser tracks here to my mind). The album cover is pictured opposite. (Anyone recognise the painting?)

SR/NY#7002453 (with thanks to Wolfy Smith, Peter Noble, Lisa Bardsley) Visit www.bccommunion.com

Purple Records have reissued the in demand album Play Me Out, Glenn Hughes' 1977 solo album. There were problems as the 1999 CD pressing masters were lost by the plant some years ago but the label has gone back to the quarter inch tapes to redo this from scratch.

Play Me Out is available from DPASMailorder, and is shipping now

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Heaven & Hell members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice have announced a one-off show as a tribute to Ronnie Dio, with proceeds to be donated to the Ronnie James Dio "Stand Up And Shout" Cancer Fund. The band are set to play the High Voltage Festival in London on Saturday 24th July 2010. The vocalists for the performance are Glenn Hughes and Norwegain singer Jorn Lande. Tickets for High Voltage festival are priced £135 (for weekend tickets) and £75 (for day tickets).

Glenn sang 'Catch The Rainbow' and 'Coast To Coast' at Ronnie Dio's public memorial service on 30th May.

TS#7002461 (with thanks to Ian Parry-Jones and Bryan Greene) Photo: Roberto Souza

Glenn Hughes (vox / bass), Joe Bonamassa (gtr) and Jason Bonham (drums) have formed a new power trio called Black Country (named after the former industrial heartland of the Midlands) and began work on recording their new album in January. Plus they have Derek Sherinian on keyboards. So that's a quartet then. They hope to finish the album in March / April and then tour.

The latest on Black Country is that first they were having to change their name and second, that the project is currently on hold following some sort of disagreements, though there is said to be an album in the can.

The forthcoming edition of the excellent 'Tight But Loose' Led Zeppelin magazine includes an interview with Glenn Hughes, in which he discusses the Black Country project. An edited version is available online at www.tightbutloose.co.uk.

SR/NY#70024121 (with thanks to Tom Dixon) Photo: Roberto Souza

Glenn is has been lined up to appear at two outdoor festival shows, including the Trondheim rock festival held in the town square. Whitesnake played the same festival in May 2009. The bill also includes Gary Moore. Attendance capacity is around 15 000.

DB #900244 (with thanks to Hans Peter Jenssen)

Glenn has spoken to Tony Conley's Rock Guitar Daily about the upcoming Black Country project:

"We're as bombastic as The Who, and as bluesy as Free, but we are doing some different kinds of things in terms of structure, and tempo: 7/8, 6/8, even 5/8 time, so it's not just a few chords and out. Joe's just written a song that is just blowing me away. He sings a couple, I sing a bunch, and there's a few where we're both singing. We originally had figured mid 2011 for the release, but here we are we've got it written, we'll have it tracked by the middle of March, around the 17th, and we should be done with vocals, and some overdubbing by April the 10th, just before Easter. So, it makes sense for it to come out sooner and now it should be out around September of this year." Read the full interview at rockguitardaily.blogspot.com (after perhaps being tempted by the Mott The Hoople reunion shows at the Hammesmith Apollo!)

DB#700242 (with thanks to Tom Dixon) Photo: Roberto Souza

Glenn Hughes has been lined up to join guitarist Joe Bonamassa onstage at the House Of Blues, Sunset Strip (Hollywood) in Los Angeles on November 12th. The pair will then perform a couple of songs from Trapeze and Deep Purple Mk3/4. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.

The show is part of the "King of the Blues" Guitar Center contest finals.

DB#700239 (with thanks to Paul Masters) photo: Simon Robinson

Glenn Hughes is due to perform three shows in Italy with guitarist Matt Filippini's Moonstone Project. . The sets will apparently include Deep Purple Mk3 & 4 tracks.

DB#700238 (with thanks to Francesco / Deep Purple Italia) Photo: Stein Ebeltoft

Glenn Hughes is to perform six outdoor shows in Sweden this summer as part of Robert Wells' Rhapsody In Rock' tour, complete with orchestra and musicians including Albert Lee (who once deputised for Ritchie Blackmore on the Gemini Suite studio recording). According to Glenn's official website he is due to perform a few tracks from his Deep Purple days.

Jon Lord has been lined up to take part in the opening show of the tour, at Falkenberg Idrottsplatsen on July 11th. At present Glenn is not due to join up until the second show, at Rättvik on July 13th.

DB#700236 (with thanks to Rhapsody In Rock) photo: Christer Lorichs

Glenn Hughes is due to appear at this year's 'Guitarfest', Birmingham NIA on July 11th. According to the show's blurb it's "The largest day of Guitars on earth! With the biggest name performers and the greatest brands, Guitarfest 2009 is set to be our best show yet!" etc.

Apart from Glenn, other players lined up include Yngwie Malmsteen and Doug Wimbish. Day passes are £15. For more info visit the Guitarfest and Drumfest website.

NY#700235

Glenn Hughes has recently been interviewed for a new TV show documenting the history of The Whisky A Go Go club in LA (called A Shot Of Whisky). The makers have interviewed loads of musicians who played there, and Trapeze had a residency at the club, which is where members of Deep Purple first checked him out. No news on when / where the programme will go out, but it may be shown by the BBC, so we'll let you know more as and when.

Thanks to Mark Stratford.

SR#700234 (photo: Roberto Souza)

ChildLine Rocks, the rock concert that aids the ChildLine charity, will take place on June 1st at the Indigo2, London. The line-up (with more names to be announced), currently looks like this: Uriah Heep / Jon Lord / Glenn Hughes / Hot Leg / The Pretty Things / Sons Of Albion / Steve Balsamo / Andy Newmark / Mollie Marriott.

Click www.childlinerocks.co.uk for more details and to get info on how you can get your tickets.

SH#700233 (photo: Roberto Souza)

GlennHughes is doing vocals on this 'new' live album from 1998, recorded at a show in California - the band comprising Keith Emerson, Glenn and Marc Bonilla. It has been circulating on audience taped bootlegs for a while now, but this is the first proper audio release.

It is out now and there is a bonus track on this European edition.

Update - Wow, have a listen to the studio bonus Middle Of A Dream at the end of the CD - what an astonishing performance from Glenn! And a great backing from Bonilla and Emerson. Where've they been hiding this track? Or have I just missed it amongst the zillions of guest slots he's done over the years. Frankly this cut is worth the price of the CD alone.

Czech funk group Monkey Business issue their sixth album TWILIGHT OF JESTERS any time now, and once again Glenn Hughes sings on two tracks: Gumball and History of Pathos. It's very much a disco dance sound throughout though the lyrics are a cut above as usual. Their last album was not released outside the Czech Republic.

Thanks to Petr Novak for the details.

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Glenn Hughes cooperated on the 2005 CD by popular Czech funk band 'Monkey Business'. The album was called 'Kiss Me On My Ego'. Glenn sang on two songs: "Weekend Warrior" and "Silence". (the CD cover is pictured left). A feature on the recording of the album (from 2004) can be viewed at YouTube.

Glenn is also due to guest with Monkey Business in their Christmas show at the Lucerna Hall, Prague, on  December 10th 2008.

DB #9002082 (thanks to Petr Novak)

There is a third t-shirt now available, featuring a photo of Glenn in Trapeze with the band logo on a black background. This has been officially licensed by Glenn, and a pic is on the dpas mailorder site. Also the shirts are available in L and XL sizes now, while we have been asked to point out that the Vintage 76 design is on a 'washed- out' style shirt for that authentic antique look!

The DPAS have got in stock two Glenn Hughes t-shirts as sold on the June UK tour dates. One design is for the new album, the other is the classic vintage 1976 design with a shot of Glenn live from 1975. The DPAS isn't sure how long these will be around for. The size is large. Glenn has licensed some more designs which should be in stock soon.   SR#7002231

Glenn Hughes: 2008 Tour T-Shirts

The new Glenn Hughes album is shipping now. It is titled "First Underground Nuclear Kitchen" (or FUNK for short!). (see the sleeve opposite)

First Impressions: "When you produce a track as fully charged as Never Say Never, and then slap it bang into the middle of your new album, then you run the risk of making everything else seem like a prelude to and coming down after. For me it just takes everything Glenn has been working with and for over the last three decades and gets the balance of metal, funk, soul and fab retro sound effects so absolutely right that quite frankly I'd be more than happy to have paid the price of admission for this one cut alone. Indeed I am more than happy to have paid, because Frontiers doesn't feel we're worth a review copy (which is why this is a tad late!).

But as a bonus there's also the almost equally great Oil And Water, and the just about as excellent title track as well. Play them all very loud and revel in the power. What a rush. The rest? I'll have to think about it for the magazine, but trust me on those three tracks alone it's more than worth it (despite the impression the 3 for £20 Trance Nation '50 chillin' greats' type sleeve might give you!). I'm already hyperventilating over the thought of hearing them live." SR SR #7002181

Glenn Hughes is a guest vocalist on former Uriah Heep keyboard player Ken Hensley’s new studio album, Blood On The Highway. Hughes follows in the footsteps of Ian Paice, who guested on Ken's 1981 album Free Spirit. dpas mailorder has finally been able to get stock of this title (thanks to help from Ken himself).

SR#2002278 (thanks to Stuart Hamilton). photo: Frans van Arkel

Deleted for some time, the Geoffrey Downes album Vox Humana from 1995 has just been reissued. It is of interest because Glenn Hughes guests on just one track, an excellent reinterpretation of Downes' Buggles hit Video Killed The Radio Star. It sounds a naff idea, but it's really very good (and much better than the original). dpas mail order will be adding this back onto their catalogue, it's been out of print for some years. SR#200232

thanks to Stuart Hamilton.