Chuck Berry Turns 100, the Stones Open the Vault, and a Busy October for Classic Rock
Written by Jarvis Prime on October 18, 2026
A centennial for the father of rock 'n' roll, new music from Tony Iommi and the Doors, a Billy Joel health update, and news from the radio business. Here's your Sunday catch-up from Pretoria Fields Radio.
Good Sunday morning from all of us at Pretoria Fields Radio. We'll start with a big birthday. Chuck Berry was born in St. Louis on October 18, 1926, so today would have been his 100th birthday. Without him there'd be no 'Johnny B. Goode' and no duck walk, and a good share of the guitar riffs we play every day would never have been written. Berry died in March 2017 at 90. His family and Isalee Music Company have been running a multi-year celebration called CHUCK100 that leads up to today. On October 22, Berry family members and drummer Steve Jordan will play a tribute concert at the Grandel in St. Louis. Tonight, Berry's longtime pianist Daryl Davis leads a 100th birthday show with The Nighthawks at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia.
The Rolling Stones aren't done with this year's album yet. The band has announced Foreign Tongues, Loose Lips, a deluxe edition of the Andrew Watt-produced Foreign Tongues from this summer. It's due November 27 and adds five songs from the same sessions. One of them, 'Bad Luck Hideaway,' has Mick Jagger and Keith Richards sharing lead vocals with the late Charlie Watts on drums. A new single, 'Who You Callin' Crazy,' features saxophonist Courtney Pine and came out digitally on Friday.
There's more to keep the turntable busy. On October 23, the Doors release Unbound and Dangerous, a live album from their 1970 Morrison Hotel tour. The same day, Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi puts out From the Dark, a new solo record with Queen's Brian May as a guest. Brothers Osborne's Watertown is also due on the 23rd. On October 30, Foreigner's Head Games gets an expanded box set with a complete concert from that tour, and the Who's The Who by Numbers comes back as a super deluxe set with 92 unreleased tracks and mixes. Further out, our neighbors to the south in Molly Hatchet have a new album called Lost Horizon on the way.
On the road: Iron Maiden has announced a North American tour for 2027, U2 has announced a world tour along with a new single, and Eric Clapton will play four nights at London's Royal Albert Hall next year.
We've also got health news. Billy Joel says doctors still haven't cleared him to perform. He's being treated for normal pressure hydrocephalus and says he needs more tests before he'll know what's next, but he'd like to get back on stage. Deep Purple veteran Glenn Hughes is recovering from a 10-hour open-heart surgery. And we're sad to report that David Surkamp, the singer of the cult '70s band Pavlov's Dog, has died at 73.
Finally, two stories from the radio business. Cumulus Media has finished its Chapter 11 restructuring and is now a privately owned company after getting FCC approval. Closer to home, CMG Radio Atlanta has named Chris Jones general sales manager for its four Atlanta stations. Jones was previously senior vice president of sales at iHeartMedia Atlanta. That's the news. Now let's get back to the music, and happy birthday, Chuck.
— The Pretoria Fields Radio news desk
Pretoria Fields Radio publishes under its editorial standards and AI policy. Spot an error? Write info@pretoriafieldsradio.com and we will correct it in the open.
