Quick Takes: Kurt Cobain, Van Halen, Rock Hall ‘Fan Vote’, Tawny Kitaen, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Lloyd Price

For reasons still unknown, the FBI publicly released its 10-page file on Kurt Cobain. Rolling Stone posted that the file — which seems lean considering Cobain's fame at the time of his death — is mainly based on two letters sent to the Bureau asking for the feds to look into Cobain's 1994 suicide as a possible murder. A letter from 2003 reads in part: “Millions of fans around the world would like to see the inconsistencies surrounding his death cleared up once and for all.” (Rolling Stone)
Alex Van Halen marked his 68th birthday on Saturday (May 8th), by posting a photo of himself and his late-brother Eddie Van Halen on Vhnd.com, and writing: “First birthday without you, Ed. The view from my drum set will never be the same. VH forever! #vanhalenforever.”
The Top Five artists have been named in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2021 fan vote. Tina Turner led the pack with a whopping 585,000 ballots, followed at Number Two by Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, the Go-Go's at Number Three, Iron Maiden at Number Four, and Foo Fighters at Number Five. The inductees for the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be announced later this month. (Ultimate Classic Rock)
Heavy metal siren, Tawny Kitaen, the former wife of Whitesnake's David Coverdale, died of unknown causes at age 59 on May 7th. Kitaen, who was also known for co-starring in Tom Hanks' 1984 comedy Bachelor Party, was originally romantically involved with Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby and appeared on the cover of the band's 1983 self-titled debut EP and the following year's Out Of The Cellar album. Kitaen appeared in two of Whitesnake's videos — “Here I Go Again” and “Is This Love.” Her two-year marriage to Coverdale ended in 1991 and she later married — and divorced — baseball player Chuck Finley, with whom she had two daughters. (TMZ)
Pearl Jam fans will have a chance to dive into the band's live concert archive with “Deep” — the official digital collection of almost 200 concerts spanning 2000 to 2013. The collection, which is up and running on Pearl Jam’s official site, “allows visitors to access 186 bootlegs and 5,404 tracks from the past two decades, with each gig accompanied by show descriptions written by members of the band’s Ten Club fan club.” Listeners can also generate their own dream playlist for a specially programed concert. (Rolling Stone)
A new Tom Petty video for “Drivin' Down To Georgia” from the new Finding Wallflowers set has been released. The video, which features unseen footage of Petty and the Heartbreakers both on and off the stage, was directed by Alison Tavel utilizing archival footage of Petty by Martyn Atkins and Heartbreakers' bassist Ron Blair. (Pitchfork)
Tedeschi Trucks Band will release Layla Revisited (Live At LOCKN') on July 16th. The set, which features Derek Trucks, the heir-apparent to Duane Allman and Allman Brothers Band alumnus, was recorded on August 24th, 2019, at Arlington, Virginia's LOCKN’ Festival. The band's one-off recording of Derek & The Dominos' Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, also features special guest Trey Anastasio of Phish. (Best Classic Bands)
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Lloyd Price died on May 6th at age 88. Price will forever be remembered for his string of 10 top 40 hits between 1957 and 1963 — including “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” the 1959 chart-topper, “Stagger Lee,” and the Top Two “Personality.” John Lennon famously covered Price's “Just Because” on his 1975 Roll N' Roll album. (Variety)

Quick Takes: Kurt Cobain, Van Halen, Rock Hall ‘Fan Vote’, Tawny Kitaen, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Lloyd Price

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