A California judge delivered a substantial legal victory to Steven Tyler by dismissing most claims in Julia Holcomb’s sexual assault lawsuit against the Aerosmith frontman. Holcomb sued Tyler in December 2022, alleging sexual assault, battery, and emotional distress stemming from incidents over 50 years ago when she was 16. The court ruled that only one alleged incident from a 1974 California hotel visit can proceed, while claims involving encounters in Massachusetts and Oregon were dismissed. The remaining allegation involves an alleged sexual encounter at a California hotel and public hot tub when Holcomb was 16. Court documents show Holcomb and Tyler were still cohabiting, engaged, and expecting a child in June 1975, one year after the alleged California incident. The case proceeds to trial August 31. (Story URL)
ShipRocked 2027 will feature Papa Roach, Ice Nine Kills, Nothing More, and Highly Suspect as headliners when the annual rock cruise sets sail January 24th from Miami. The 17th edition aboard Carnival Horizon visits Mahogany Bay in Roatan, Honduras, and Cozumel, Mexico, before returning January 30th. Additional performers include Badflower, Set It Off, Magnolia Park, and nineteen other acts. The traditional all-star cover band The Stowaways will return with member names announced later. Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix promised “unforgettable moments,” while Ice Nine Kills’ Spencer Charnas called it “a killer whale of a time.” Highly Suspect’s Johnny Stevens said he wants to “eat pizza on the back of the boat with strangers.” Limited staterooms remain available through the cruise’s official website for the six-day Caribbean voyage. (Story URL)
A British High Court judge rejected copyright claims from heirs of Jimi Hendrix Experience members Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, ruling they have no rights to royalties from Hendrix’s catalog. Judge Edwin Johnson found in his 140-page decision that the bandmates signed a recording agreement on October 11, 1966, forfeiting future royalty rights to producers. The judge called the agreement “clear and unequivocal,” stating producers owned rights to “any sound recordings made hereunder.” After Hendrix’s 1970 death, the estate became “the ultimate successor” to those rights through subsequent transactions. Janie Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix, praised the ruling, saying it allows continued protection of “Jimi’s music” with “love, care, and integrity.” (Story URL)
Keith Urban described his upcoming yacht rock album as “an unexpected evolution of music” ahead of his Musicians Hall Of Fame induction this week. The country star purchased a Nashville studio intending to record just one or two songs for practice. “We thought just for fun, we would do a couple of yacht rock songs. I had no intention of releasing it,” Urban told PEOPLE. The project grew organically over four to five months, expanding from two tracks to eleven. Urban collaborated with yacht rock icon Michael McDonald, along with Little Big Town and John Mayer. Two songs released Wednesday include the original “We Go Back” featuring McDonald and a cover of Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze.” Urban also reflected on his artistic growth, saying: “Less is more. It’s evolutionary in its expression.” The album drops June 12th on streaming platforms. (Story URL)
The Recording Academy & Grammy Museum will host their 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame Gala on Friday, May 8th, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, honoring 14 recordings spanning nearly 100 years. Grammy-winning father-daughter duo Fyütch & Aura V will tribute Ella Jenkins’ 1966 children’s classic You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song. George Clinton, Blackbyrd McKnight, and Erykah Badu will celebrate Funkadelic’s 1971 album Maggot Brain. Heart’s Wilson sisters will perform from their 1976 debut Dreamboat Annie, while Lucinda Williams honors her Grammy-winning 1998 release Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Take 6 will perform The Soul Stirrers’ 1950 recording featuring young Sam Cooke. Taylor Hanson will pay to tribute Nick Drake’s final album Pink Moon. An online auction featuring signed guitars and 2027 Grammy tickets benefits the Grammy Museum from May 5-21. Story URL