Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood Joins Paul McCartney on Stage

Paul McCartney pulled a Rolling Stone on to stage at his show at London’s O2 Arena on Monday (December 5).

NME.com reports that Beatle Paul told the crowd he had a “surprise” for them before bringing Ronnie Wood on stage for a snarling version of The Beatles’ 1969 track, “Get Back.”

McCartney’s London concert lasted three hours with the veteran songsmith playing three songs that he had never before played in the U.K., “The Night Before,” “The Word” and “Come and Get It.”

McCartney next plays Manchester on December 19 and Liverpool on December 20.

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Ronnie Earl: Blues Guitar With Soul

This is a lesson with a true blues master, and is not to be missed by anyone who's really serious about their blues guitar. Ronnie Earl is known for being a soulful player, and on this video he doesn't hold back! You'll learn the special chords used by Little Walter, T Bone Walker, Magic Sam, Robert Jr. Lockwood, the style of B.B. King, the fingerpicking of Albert King, Country Blues styles, question and answer phrasing, bending and shaking, turnarounds, and how to get maximum feeling out of minimum notes the key to blues guitar. If it's blues you're looking for, they don't come much better than this. Includes booklet with tablature. Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish.

Price: $24.95

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Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood Wins More Radio Awards

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood now has a flourishing broadcasting career. On Wednesday, Wood received two prestigious radio awards in London.

Last year, Wood began broadcasting his own show on the Absolute Classic Rock radio station and picked up the Music Radio Personality of the Year honor at the Sony Radio Academy Awards. He now can add to that award, the Specialist Programme of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors from London's Arqiva Commercial Radio awards.

Legendary DJ, David "Kid" Jensen was given the Lifetime Achievement Award. Jensen, alongside his good friend John Peel, was hugely influential in breaking indie music in the U.K. in the '70s and '80s.

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This Day in Music Spotlight: Ronnie Lane Fights Multiple Sclerosis

Special thanks to ThisDayinMusic.com.

Ronnie Lane had fought a nasty and debilitating disease for 20 years when he finally succumbed to the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis on this day in 1997.

Ronnie Lane, one of the good guys of rock, had risen from humble beginning to international pop star and everybody loved him. The friends he made on the way to the top, from Jimmy Page to Rod Stewart to Pete Townshend, would also figure prominently in the dark days as his body rebelled on him and disease took over his life.

Lane and his band The Small Faces were huge rock stars when Steve Marriott jumped ship to form Humble Pie. The rest of the Small Faces drowned their temporary sorrows with old pals Ron Wood and Rod Stewart, became the Faces and matched anything they’d done in the ’60s and set the bar for no-frills rock and roll.

When Rod became a megastar and the Faces disbanded, Lane moved to a farm in Wales, enjoyed life in the country and played folk and roll with his new band Slim Chance. Their albums sold well but a caravan tour of England featuring an ambitious assortment of circus acts was a financial disaster. Undeterred, he kept making low-key albums. Critics loved the records he made with old pals, like Mahoney’s Last Stand, with Ron Wood and Rough Mix with Pete Townshend.

But something wasn’t quite right with Ronnie. As drummer Kenney Jones recalled later: “He seemed very forgetful, slurred his words and tripped up a lot. We accused of him of being drunk and of having a secret tipple, but he wasn’t of course.”

More than that, Lane was suffering coordination issues and numbness in his arms. A doctor diagnosed him with multiple sclerosis in 1977.

Always a trooper, Lane continued to make music, including the terrific 1980 See Me album, but spent more and more time and energy fighting the crippling disease.
He moved to America, first Houston and then Austin, where he played in several bands, often in a wheel chair. But the disease was debilitating and Lane was in terrible pain. Near the end, he was unable to move or talk and tried everything to find a cure, or at least relief. He even turned to having regular injections of snakebite venom.

In 1992, Lane played for the last time, fittingly with old friend Ronnie Wood. In 1994, Lane moved to the cooler climate of Trinidad, Colorado.

By reputation, one of the nicest men in rock, musical pals rallied around Ronnie throughout his illness, raising a mountain of cash to help with his mounting medical bills. Former bandmate Jones was relentless in fighting for Small Faces back royalties, and his resultant deal helped Lane’s finances a great deal. Jimmy Page, Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood also kept the medial bills from piling up.

He died in the hospital on June 4, 1997.

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Take Your Pick: Paul Weller, Ronnie Wood, Coldplay Donate Picks to Charity

Paul Weller, Ronnie Wood, Hanson, Coldplay, Emmylou Harris, Depeche Mode, Weezer, Dave Stewart, Mark Ronson and Toploader have donated guitar picks to a charity auction. They are aiding the Ben Sherman V.I.P. (Very Important Plectrum) fundraiser for the Trekstock cancer charity and LIFEbeat HIV organization.

According to the Daily Express, the artists involved have all signed a card to verify their plectrum donations and all picks are mounted in a frame.

The auction began on Sunday (May 29) and will run until June 19. For more information go to http://www.benshermanvip.com/2011/ and http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110691877767.

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