December 5th: Sir Rod Stewart & Jools Holland Partner Up for a Sparkling Salute to the Big Band Years!
Sir Rod Stewart and Jools Holland with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra present the exquisite
Swing Fever – a 13-track
sparkling salute to the timeless songs of the big band years, reignited by two true giants of their craft – out on Friday 23rd
February 2024 on Warner Music.
For the first time, Britain's new partners in swing have united on record to share their peerless dexterity on a tribute to such truly
great songs as Ain't Misbehavin', Frankie And Johnny, Sentimental Journey and Lullaby Of Broadway –
recorded at Jools' own studio in Greenwich.
Swing Fever is the realisation of conversations between Rod and Jools that began in the pandemic years, and of Rod's dream of
making an album of the songs that were, in many ways, the rock 'n' roll of their day. Sitting down together, Jools recounts: "I was
just packing up to go away for Christmas, and you rang me. We hadn't really spoken at any length before. I thought 'I love Rod, how
exciting,' and you said 'I want to do a record'. I'd been a fan of Rod forever but we realised with the old music that we liked a lot
of the same things".
"I'd already started making a swing album, but it didn't turn out how I wanted it," explains Rod. "It was more Frank Sinatra than it
was Louis Prima, let's say. So I cancelled that, and then I realised the guy I should go to is Jools. Also, our fanatical model railway
enthusiasm bonded us together. So we started recording."
The first track to be released is a superb working of show tunes Almost Being In Love – written by Frederick Loewe, and
made famous by Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. Listen HERE.
Swing Fever is available on Black Vinyl, Colour Vinyl, CD & Digital. Pre-order HERE.
November 2nd: London Poppy Day
"Coming to an underground
station near you. Once again, I would like to thank
all at Transport For London. I am delighted to announce
that I have teamed up with Royal British Legion
and TFL
to lend my voice to the Tube Tannoy for Poppy Day.
You can hear my announcements today (Thursday 2nd
November 2023) from 6.45am to 7.00pm.
"As you make your journey, please wear your poppy to show your support and donate whatever you can to help the Royal British Legion
continue its vital work."
July 21st: Brighter Days is Out NOW
I'm delighted to have played piano on this house reinterpretation of Emeli Sandé's original song; thank you to
the musicians and all involved who have brought this track to life.
The recording session at Abbey Road Studios is out now on YouTube. You can also stream/download Brighter Days on
Spotify and Apple Music.
July 20th: Brighter Days
Jools is excited to announce that tomorrow, Friday 21st July, Brighter Days will be released. A Revival Records dance
re-interpretation of Emeli Sandé's original song, with choir vocals by GeO Gospel Choir, which Jools had the pleasure of
playing keys on.
I'm delighted to continue my adventures with Saga Travel UK
this year for two more ocean cruises. I'm so looking forward to travelling to beautiful locations and enjoying delicious food. In
between all that, we'll be performing our music, in the specially built theatre, for everyone onboard. Have you ever cruised with Saga before?
April 21st: The Barnestormers
Real Wild Child, the new song from The Barnestormers, is out today. Written by Johnny O'Keefe and band members Johnny Greenan
and Dave Owens and released in 1958, it was inspired by a fight at one of their gigs in the inner-Sydney suburb of Newtown.
The song was originally titled 'Wild One', but after hearing Johnny O'Keefe's version, Buddy Holly's manager took the song back to the US,
where it was renamed 'Real Wild Child' to avoid confusion with the Marlon Brando movie The Wild One. Jerry Lee Lewis recorded a
signature version of the song while decades later Iggy Pop's interpretation hit the UK Top 10 and reached #1 in New Zealand. It
was featured in the blockbuster movies Pretty Woman and Crocodile Dundee II.
The Barnestormers, the album, is out on Friday 26th May and you can pre-order here.
March 10th: The Barnestormers – Album Out Friday 26th May + Single & Video Johnny's Gone –
Out Now
We are proud to announce the arrival of The Barnestormers.
Jools Holland,
Jimmy Barnes,
Slim Jim Phantom,
Chris Cheney and
Kevin Shirley, got
virtually together from three corners of the world and recorded the finest rockabilly, finger poppin'
grooves to shake your local juke joint since the glory days of fenders and fins.
The album The Barnestormers will be released on Friday 26th May and you can pre-order
it here. It features artwork by the unmistakable
Vince Ray. Watch the video for Johnny's Gone, the first single,
with Vince Ray's Rock & Roll Voodoo trashcomic art brought to cartoon life by Marco Pavone.
