Dave Mason Releases Children’s Book Inspired By Traffic Song

After more than six decades on the road, singer-songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Dave Mason is embarking on a new creative chapter. The co-founder of groundbreaking band Traffic has announced the release of his first-ever children’s book, Hole In My Shoe, a reimagining of the whimsical 1967 song that launched his extraordinary career.

In September 2025, Dave Mason made the difficult decision to retire from touring after 60 remarkable years, citing ongoing health challenges. While recuperating at his home in Maui, he revisited an idea that had lived quietly with him for decades — transforming his 1967 composition “Hole In My Shoe,” written at just 19 years old, into a children’s book.

“‘Hole In My Shoe’ was the first song I ever wrote,” says Mason. “Released by Traffic in 1967, it spent 14 weeks on the UK charts, climbed to #2, and has carried its charm ever since. Now, it’s been reimagined as a children’s book for all ages. I’ve had the lyrics beautifully illustrated and re-recorded the song, which is included as a download inside the book — and it’s the only way you can hear it.”

The new recording features acclaimed guitarist John McFee of The Doobie Brothers, who also mastered the track, while Mason’s wife, Winifred, lends her voice to the spoken passages, adding a deeply personal touch.

Long celebrated as an “everywhere man,” Mason’s career includes collaborations with Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Graham Nash, Cass Elliot, Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, Delaney & Bonnie, Spencer Davis Group, and Eric Clapton — a testament to his enduring and far-reaching influence on rock music.

Originally written during his time with Traffic, “Hole In My Shoe” emerged from the band’s free-flowing, experimental spirit. Its surreal lyrics and psychedelic sound helped propel it up the UK charts, becoming the band’s first major hit. Yet despite its success, the song was never performed live due to its complexity, remaining a deeply personal piece in Mason’s catalog.

The roots of the song stretch even further back. As a child, Mason spent 14 months in a hospital, immobilized while recovering from a serious hip condition. During that time, his imagination flourished—an experience he now believes helped shape his early songwriting instincts.

Now, at nearly 80 years old and newly retired from touring, Mason has come full circle.

“It brings great satisfaction,” he reflects, “to revisit my first creative endeavor. A lot of miles and music have happened since then, and that song opened a door to a life bigger and better than I ever imagined.”

Hole In My Shoe is illustrated by Jillian Dister and includes a QR code for a free exclusive download of the updated recording. The project bridges past and present—linking the first song Mason ever wrote with his most recent recording to date.

Though retired from touring, Dave Mason remains creatively engaged in his home studio, revisiting and reworking material from across his six-decade career. He also hosts his monthly NewHD Radio show, Feelin’ Alright, which continues to gain momentum — three episodes have already aired, with episode four set for April 15. The May installment will air on May 8th and is set to celebrate Mason’s 80th birthday, featuring surprise messages from friends and collaborators, along with a curated selection of their favorite Dave Mason songs, making for a truly special broadcast.

With Hole In My Shoe, Dave Mason invites a new generation into his imaginative world proving that even after a lifetime of music, the story is still unfolding.

To purchase the book, head over to davemasonmusic.com/hole-in-my-shoe-book

'Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition' Movie Tickets Available, Trailer Released

 

With unprecedented access to the official archives and intimate recollections from the

band, both current and past, Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition invites fans to experience one

of the most iconic journeys in music history. The film is set to hit theaters on May 7 for a limited time only in the US and Canada and on general wide release throughout the rest of the world. Tickets are now available at ironmaidenfilm.com.

Spanning five decades, this electrifying documentary charts the band’s rise from the pubs of East London to the world’s biggest stadiums. Featuring exclusive interviews with band members and contributors such as Javier Bardem, Lars Ulrich and Chuck D, as well as all-new animated sequences of the band's mascot, Eddie, the film offers a rare and intimate look at Iron Maiden’s uncompromising vision and unwavering connection with their truly global army of fans.

Check out the official trailer for the film below.

Formed in East London in 1975, Iron Maiden has grown into one of the world’s most influential and enduring rock bands. Across 50 years, they have released 17 studio albums, sold over 100 million records, and performed almost 2,500 concerts in 64 countries.

Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition arrives as the band continues its two-year “Run For Your Lives” world tour, which included a triumphant homecoming performance at London Stadium a short distance from where it all began five decades ago.

A recently announced, one-of-a-kind celebration named EddFest in historic Knebworth Park, England, on July 11, forms part of over 50 shows worldwide in 2026.

For more info, visit ironmaiden.com.

John Lennon & Yoko Ono's 1972 NYC 'One To One' Concerts Coming To Cinemas Worldwide

 

Trafalgar Releasing will be bringing Power To The People: John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant's Memory and Special Guests – Live at the One To One Concert, New York City, 1972 to the big screen worldwide this spring. The film is produced by and released in partnership with Mercury Studios.

Representing the only full-length concerts John Lennon, with Yoko Ono, performed after leaving The Beatles, Power To The People: John & Yoko Live in NYC is a multiscreen concert film of two massive Madison Square Garden live shows. This is a film restoration 20 years in the making, with every frame physically and digitally cleaned by hand. This definitive version has been newly restored, re-edited and remixed by the Lennons’ award winning team, led by Sean Ono Lennon.

Tickets for Power To The People: John & Yoko Live in NYC go on sale Friday, March 20 —coinciding with John and Yoko’s 57th wedding anniversary. Fans can visit powertothepeoplefilm.com to purchase tickets. Audio will be in 5.1 Surround or Dolby Atmos® at select locations. Visit the official event website now and sign up for the most current information and event updates.

John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant's Memory and Special Guests performed the One To One concerts on August 30, 1972, to a combined audience of 40,000 people, raising over $1.5M (equivalent to $11.5M in 2026) for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Originally filmed by multi-camera director Steve Gebhardt in 1972, this 2026 version of the concert film is directed by Simon Hilton, edited by Ben Wainwright-Pearce and produced by Peter Worsley and Sean Ono Lennon with a view to creating the film as a multiscreen experience. Music Production is by Sean Ono Lennon; mixed and engineered by Paul Hicks and Sam Gannon. 

The audio multitracks were similarly given the ultimate restoration treatment, having been baked and re-transferred at high resolution by Rob Stevens and then digitally restored and remixed in High Definition 192/24 Stereo, 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos. Hits performed include John’s “New York City,” “Instant Karma!,” “Imagine,” and “Mother,” plus Yoko’s “Don’t Worry Kyoko” and “Open Your Box,” plus rousing renditions of “Come Together” and “Hound Dog,” and the encore “Give Peace a Chance” with special guests including Stevie Wonder, Sha Na Na, Melanie Safka-Schekeryk and many others.

Sean Ono Lennon says: “It was a concert that had a legendary status in my mind, because it was my dad’s last concert. I remember wanting a Les Paul because he played Les Paul during that show. I feel very grateful I got to work on it because he did plan on touring and he didn’t get to, so all we’ve got is this concert. And I think it is very beautiful because it is so unlike what people were doing at the time. Everybody was getting into slicker and slicker stuff in the early ‘70s, and I think my dad was already kind of pre-empting the arrival of punk. He just wanted to go back to basics and be raw and spontaneous and rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a very cool thing he was doing that was very against the grain. Maybe not everyone realizes how special it is for me to hear my dad talking or to see him. I grew up with a set number of images and audio clips that everyone’s familiar with. So to come across things that I’ve never seen or heard is really deep for me, because it’s almost like getting more time with my dad.”

On October 10, 2025, the day after John’s 85th birthday, Capitol/UMe released Power To The People, a massive 12-disc box set produced by Sean Ono Lennon and his production team, that chronicles and celebrates John & Yoko’s political activism and their early years in New York City. The new film serves as the definitive companion to that collection, arriving at a time of peak anticipation following the box set and the 2025 documentary One To One: John & Yoko, which documented the rehearsals and preparation for the MSG shows.

National GUITAR Museum Presents “Lifetime Achievement” Award To Ritchie Blackmore

 

The National GUITAR Museum has awarded Ritchie Blackmore, whose career spans more than 60 years, its annual “Lifetime Achievement” Award. Blackmore is the sixteenth recipient of the award.

 

The guitarist, best known for his work with Deep Purple and Rainbow, joins previous award winners including Honeyboy Edwards, Jeff Beck, Bonnie Raitt, Liona Boyd, Jose Feliciano, and B.B. King. Recipients are recognized for a lifetime of contributing to the legacy of the guitar and having a singular historical importance to the development and historical appreciation of the instrument.

 

HP Newquist, NGM executive director issued the following statement: "Most people know Ritchie from being the driving creative force behind two of the defining hard rock bands of all time — Deep Purple and Rainbow. But before starting those bands, he had a long career as a London session musician, performing on records by numerous artists, including The Outlaws. And then—after helping to define hard rock guitar in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s — he formed Blackmore’s Night, incorporating medieval and Renaissance acoustic music into his immense repertoire.”  

 

Blackmore responded: “I’m rather thrown by the magnitude of this honorable award. I am grateful to accept this award and this recognition.”

 

Blackmore’s guitar playing has inspired countless numbers of musicians to follow in his wake, and very few guitarists can match his lifetime of achievements. His influence is pervasive amongst players in a wide variety of genres, from blues-rock and heavy metal on to neoclassical and pop rock. It is conceivable that every electric guitarist on the planet has learned how to play the riff Blackmore came up with for “Smoke On The Water.”

 

Added Newquist, “It’s difficult to find any modern guitarist who has incorporated so many diverse styles into their playing — and then fused them all into something recognizably their own over their entire career. Ritchie was one of the first electric guitarists to add classical melodicism to his playing, along with classical speed and finesse. I think that most of the early '80s guitarists who played lightning fast riffs and claimed to be learning from Bach and Mozart were, in fact, borrowing from Ritchie."

 

Ritchie Blackmore joins previous Lifetime Achievement Award recipients:

 

2010: David Honeyboy Edwards

2011: Roger McGuinn

2012: B.B. King 

2013: Vic Flick 

2014: Buddy Guy

2015: Tony Iommi 

2016: Glen Campbell

2017: Bonnie Raitt

2018: Liona Boyd

2019: Jose Feliciano

2020: Eddie Van Halen (in memoriam)

2021: Al Di Meola

2022: Jeff Beck

2023: Tommy Emmanuel

2024: Alex Lifeson

2025: Ritchie Blackmore

For more info about the National GUITAR Museum, visit nationalguitarmuseum.com. 

 

To keep up with Ritchie Blackmore, go to blackmoresnight.com.

Ringo Starr Announces New Album 'Long Long Road,' His Second With T Bone Burnett

Ringo Starr has released a new song called "It’s Been Too Long," featuring Molly Tuttle and Sarah Jarosz. This is the first single from his forthcoming album Long Long Road (dropping on April 24), co-written and produced by T Bone Burnett, the 10-song album also includes collaborations with Billy Strings, Sheryl Crow and St Vincent and is the highly anticipated follow-up to last year’s chart topping Look Up. 

Pre-order Long Long Road

“I’m blessed to have T Bone in my life right now and working with me on these records,” Ringo stated.  “After we did the last record, which I love listening to, this one just sort of happened. I like to say sometimes I make the right moves, like you can go left or right at any point, and one of the right moves was hooking up with T Bone for Look Up, and now for this one, which I’m calling 'Long Long Road,' because I’ve been on a long long road.”   

As the title implies, and like Ringo’s own journey, Long Long Road has solid roots in Country and Americana, and evolved into something broader, creating an aural mosaic of Starr’s musical legacy and influences, including Carl Perkins. “I recorded two Carl Perkins songs with The Beatles, and both T Bone and I wanted one on this record,” Ringo explained, “and he found this beautiful track I’d never heard before, ‘I Don’t See Me In Your Eyes Anymore’.”   

Recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles, this record sees the return of many of the Look Up musicians including the core band (that T Bone affectionately dubs The Texans after the 1959 band Ringo played with in Liverpool) featuring Paul Franklin, David Mansfield, Dennis Crouch, Daniel Tashian, Rory Hoffman, Patrick Warren and Colin Linden. 

“I've loved Ringo’s playing and his singing for my whole life,” T Bone stated. “And then one night we were at a poetry reading together and he said, why don't you write a song for me? So I wrote him a Gene Autry type song because I always heard Ringo as a Texas artist, the way he played felt just like Texas music to me. Ringo Starr is a recording artist of the highest caliber, and I wanted to surround him with these young masters, bringing in some of this extraordinary young energy that's happening around Nashville for both of these records.”  

Their first collaboration, Look Up, released January 10, 2025, brought overwhelming success and acclaim. It was Ringo’s first Country record in 50 years, and it earned him his first Top 10 on Billboard’s all genre Top Album Sales chart, as well as landing him on multiple other Billboard Charts. In the UK, the album reached a significant career milestone garnering him his first solo #1 album on the Official Country Chart. 

In February 2025 Starr made his Grand Ole Opry debut after being invited by Emmylou Harris during the first of his two-night run at the legendary Ryman, which was recorded for a 2-hour special still streaming on CBS/Paramount Plus. 

UFO's ‘The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent’ Expanded & Remastered For May Release

 

Chrysalis Records is reissuing UFO's 1981 album The Wild, The Willing and The Innocent as a triple LP and double CD on May 1. The new remastering comes from the original tape transfers. Originally released on January 16, 1981, the album blends soaring melodies, powerful performances, and Phil Mogg’s unmistakable voice. The lineup had modified a little with the debut of keyboardist/guitarist Neil Carter, replacing Paul Raymond. Carter also supplied backing vocal and saxophone on "Lonely Heart."

Pre-order The Wild, The Willing and The Innocent 

Mogg recalls: “Neil had a box of tricks. Getting the backing vocals was great, though I still don’t think he’s forgiven me for making him play saxophone. He was a great add to the band. Plus, he was a nice bloke.”

Drummer Andy Parker adds: “Neil was just an incredible musician. He brought another energy into the band.”

This deluxe edition also includes a brand-new mix of the previously unreleased Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, recorded on January 29th, 1981, by Brian Kehew, offering an electrifying snapshot of UFO’s energy on stage. Original 7” edits of the two singles "Couldn't Get It Right" and "Lonely Heart" released with this album are included as well as an alternative mix of album standout “It’s Killing Me”.

The set is rounded out with newly written liner notes by Michael Hann, featuring fresh interviews with Phil Mogg and Andy Parker, alongside a collection of previously unseen photographs from the era — making it an essential addition for fans and collectors alike.

Eagles Announce 2026 North American Tour

 

Eagles – Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, with Vince Gill and Deacon Frey – welcome Tedeschi Trucks Band as special guests for three announced stadium shows: May 5 at Truist Park in  Atlanta, GA;  May 9 at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, TN; and May 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.         

Fans who sign up at eagles.com by Monday, March 2, at 10 AM ET are eligible for Eagles Artist Presales thaT begin on Tuesday, March 3, at 10 AM local time,  No codes are needed – access is tied to your Ticketmaster account, and anyone who signs up can join the sale. Additional presale opportunities begin Thursday, March 5, at 10 AM local time. Limited VIP Ticket Packages are available now.

 

In January 2026, the Eagles became the first band to earn Quadruple Diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of more than 40 million units (40x Platinum) of Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975, which remains the best-selling album of all time in the U.S. Additionally, the band’s legendary album, Hotel California, has been re-certified 28x Platinum by the RIAA, scoring the third best-selling album of all time. Before it was certified multi-Diamond, Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975 was the first album ever to be certified Platinum by the RIAA.

 

Grammy-winning Tedeschi Trucks Band will release their sixth studio album Future Soul on March 20. The 12-piece band take to the road on their own headlining tour beginning April 14 in Dallas, after a 10-night run in March at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. Since forming in 2010, TTB has received numerous Americana Music Honors & Awards nominations and won Band of the Year in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2023 at the Blues Music Awards. They’ve sold out Madison Square Garden and sold over 20 nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.