Gram Parsons Gets His Night, Aerosmith Gets Its Drummer Back, and Slippery When Wet Turns 40 at No. 1
Written by Jarvis Prime on October 25, 2026
Your Sunday music brief from Pretoria Fields Radio: a Waycross boy heads for the Rock Hall, a fresh stack of new records for the turntable, and the AM radio fight stalls in Washington.
Good Sunday morning, south Georgia. Let's start close to home. Gram Parsons, the cosmic-American pioneer who spent his boyhood in Waycross, goes into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 14 in Los Angeles, in a year that would have marked his 80th birthday. Three nights before the ceremony, the Troubadour hosts "A Song for Gram," a tribute led by Emmylou Harris and Elvis Costello, with the Black Crowes, Margo Price, Grace Potter and Jim Lauderdale on the bill. Tickets went on sale Thursday, and proceeds support addiction and mental health work in L.A. Waycross claimed him long before Cleveland did.
Aerosmith is back in the rehearsal room. The band shared photos this week ahead of two Hollywood Bowl shows, October 29 and November 1, billed as "California, Dream On: Aerosmith & Friends." Drummer Joey Kramer returns for the first time since 2020, and the guest list reportedly pulls from Guns N' Roses, the Black Crowes, Heart and Run-DMC. No further dates have been confirmed, so enjoy this one for what it is.
Friday brought a strong stack of new releases. Tony Iommi put out From the Dark, his first solo album since 2005. Brothers Osborne delivered their fifth record, Watertown, produced once again by Jay Joyce and opening with a Cody Johnson collaboration. The Doors released a live set called Unbound and Dangerous, Bernie Taupin released The Sea Has No Mercy, and a collection of Jimmy Webb's found songs arrived under the title Yours for the Taking. Plenty to keep the needle busy this week.
Fleetwood Mac fans, circle January on the calendar. The long-awaited documentary The Chain, directed by Frank Marshall, is set to premiere on Apple TV early next year with interviews from members past and present. Gibson also unveiled a 50th-anniversary Tom Petty Flying V this week, limited to 250 guitars. And original Foreigner voice Lou Gramm is sticking to his plan to retire from live performing at the end of this year, with his last scheduled show in December outside Chicago.
On this date: Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 on October 25, 1986, forty years ago today. Paul Simon released Still Crazy After All These Years on this day in 1975. Led Zeppelin played their first show under that name in 1968, the Rolling Stones made their first Ed Sullivan Show appearance in 1964, and Yes co-founder Jon Anderson turns 82. We also remember Cream's Jack Bruce, who passed on this day in 2014.
In radio news, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act remains parked in the Senate, with no vote expected before the midterms, while automakers' lobbying disclosures show they spent $6.3 million opposing it in the third quarter. Closer to home, Atlanta's B98.5 WSB-FM promoted Abby Jessen to director of branding and programming. And a new Katz Radio Group study argues that as consumers tighten their belts, AM/FM remains the better value for advertisers. We'll take that one personally. Thanks for keeping the dial right here at Pretoria Fields Radio.
— 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.
